Grace, The Power To Obey

One thing every Christian knows: Grace is free - at least free to us. It cost Jesus His blood; but He offers it to us free of charge! It's simply a gift that He gives because He loves us. Up to this point, we've learned that:
 - God's grace will completely forgive and wash away every sin we've committed, or will ever commit.
 - All it takes to access this forgiveness is a turning away from our sin and a turn to God.
 - Grace will convict us of our righteousness and teach us the right way to behave.

Now we've come to the edge of what grace was always intended to do. Today, we'll begin discovering the power that comes from grace!

If you want to serve God effectively, you must believe this truth: God has never given a command that didn't also come with power to obey it!

Power to Split the Sea

After being miraculously delivered from their Egyptian masters, Moses and the Israelites stood at the edge of the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was closing in behind them, intending to kill most of them and re-capture those who were left alive.

Moses, realizing that they were in danger and had no way out, cried out to God for help.
What was God's answer? "Go forward!"

What an insane command! There was no natural way for Moses to lead Israel forward - the sea was in their way. So in response to God's command, Moses could've done one of two things in his own strength:
1 - Try to cross the sea themselves. He could've ordered those who were able to start swimming, while others began to break apart the carts and build boats.
2 - Or throw up his hands and tell God that it was impossible...asking Him for mercy as they stayed put.

Would either of these have delivered them? No!
Deliverance only came when Moses believed that God's command carried the power to obey.

Moses took action, and the power of God backed him up. 

Power to Stand Up and Walk

The paralyzed man lay there at Jesus' feet. He had been carried to the house and let down through the roof. Laying on top of his stretcher, the man looked up at the Teacher and heard Him speak these incredible words: "Get up, roll up your stretcher, and take it home."

Like Moses, this man had two natural responses to Jesus' command:

1 - "Excuse me, Jesus - but didn't you see how I got here? I CAN'T walk!" (followed by him just laying there on the floor)

2 - "OK, Jesus - I'll try." (followed by him rolling over on his belly and trying to crawl through the crowd)

Would either of these choices have brought him healing? Of course not.

Both options (trying to obey on his own and refusing to obey because he couldn't) would've left him paralyzed at the end of the day.

There was only ONE way for the man to receive healing: He had to believe the command.

He had to make this decision in faith: "Jesus wouldn't have commanded me to do this if He wasn't going to give me the strength to obey."

By believing Jesus' command, the man was empowered to obey it!

Power to Sin No More

One minute, she was in bed with a married man. The next minute, she was thrown in jail for adultery...a capital offense in that day. She was unforgivable in the eyes of society. (Although the man in bed with her was probably just given a stern talking-to....)

From prison, she was brought into the crowd that had followed Jesus and thrown down on the ground in front of Him. She didn't know it, but she was being used as a weapon by the religious leaders to try to trap Jesus:

-If He had closed His eyes to her sin, He could be accused of lawlessness.

-If He had demanded the penalty of the law, He could be accused of a lack of care.

Of course, we all know how this played out, and Jesus ended up alone with the woman. After declaring her free from condemnation, He then gave her this famous command: "Go and sin no more."

When we read this command, why do we see it differently than the first two?

Why do we read this as if Jesus was laying down the law on this woman?

Why have we never read this as an offer of power?

The same power that Moses used, and the same power that the paralytic had access to, was now being offered to the adultress in this command!

This woman could've responded two ways to this command:

1 - By gritting her teeth and saying, "Lord, I'll do my best!"

2 - By tearfully responding, "Lord, I've tried to obey you and failed. I don't know if I can do it!"

Neither of these is the correct response to the issue of obedience!

Only faith in the command could empower her to obey it!

This Is Grace!

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." -Hebrews 12:28

WE cannot obey God on OUR OWN strength - Scripture makes that clear. The only way to serve God acceptably is by grace. 

When we hear the command as a rule to follow, our own strength will fail us.

But when we hear it as a promise of power, God's grace will bring the strength to obey it completely!

This is what Grace (working together with faith) always does: It turns the command into a promise.