Overview
Michelle Cencich examines “Living Grace” through Philippians 2, Romans 14, John 20, John 21, showing how lord, grace, love shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding Living Grace
What does it mean to live grace? In Philippians 2 verses 12 and 13, it tells us to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. I’m understanding more about grace as I cultivate my own salvation wholeness by bringing it into my daily living, speaking words that minister grace, not words that tear down, condemn, or judge. In Romans 14 verse 19, the Amplified Classic reads, So let us then definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony, and for mutual upbuilding, edification, and development of one another.
Each of us needs to make our own personal salvation wholeness, which was totally given by grace, our very lifestyle. I want to look at some examples in the Word about living grace, and you can’t get away from looking at the example of our Lord and brother, Jesus Christ, who brought us this salvation wholeness. We’ll look specifically at how he shared and lived grace while in his resurrected body.
After God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, in his resurrected body, he showed himself to individuals and groups. It’s interesting to see what he spoke during this short time in his resurrected body. One thing I don’t see in him is ever bringing up people’s past mistakes and failures.
You see him teaching and preparing his disciples and apostles for a new era, administration, age. Turn to John 20. We’re going to look at an example with Thomas.
Starting in verse 19. Then the same day, at evening, being the first day of the week when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst and said unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side.
Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you. As my father hath sent me, even so send I you.
The Biblical Foundation
Think about those words. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. All that Jesus Christ had accomplished for mankind in his death, in his resurrection, and his ascension will soon be culminated in the outpouring of Holy Spirit.
That package of faith that embodies all the authority and power of the accomplished work of Jesus Christ will become available for the first time ever, and he is instructing them how to receive it. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord, but he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then said he, Jesus to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. This is a great example of sharing grace. Jesus didn’t bring up why Thomas wasn’t present at the first go around, nor did he condemn him for his doubts.
He elevated his perspective by telling him to just stop doubting and believe. I am alive, God raised me. In verse 29, Jesus said then to him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed, blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.
The Amplified Classic reads this verse, Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on me. Wouldn’t you have loved to have been with Jesus Christ, to experience his love firsthand, to be at his feet while he taught the scriptures and gave illustrations of life’s lessons, and to see the miracles he did? Yet he said blessed, happy, to be envied are those of us who have never seen him, but we believe, we adhere to, trust, and rely on the faith of Jesus Christ. Now we’ll go to John 21.
We’ll look at the example of Peter. Jesus had shown himself again to Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, and two other disciples at the Sea of Tiberias where they had been fishing all night and had by morning they didn’t catch anything. Jesus was standing on the shore and asked if they had caught anything, and when they said no, he told them to cast the net on the right side.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
They did this and caught so many fish that they couldn’t even pull in the net. Once they came ashore, Jesus had a fire waiting for them with some roasted fish and bread. And in verse 12, Jesus said unto them, Come and dine.
And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou, knowing that it was the Lord? Jesus then cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than these? And he said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. Jesus Christ didn’t bring up that during his torture and crucifixion, Peter had denied him six times after promising to never deny him, or that he and the other apostles had fallen asleep during a time when Jesus really needed them to keep watch for him while at the Garden of Gethsemane. No, he elevated Peter’s perspective and thinking to what God was moving now in his life.
What a great example for us when we are together with the brethren. We help each other forget the past. It’s over.
God is in the moment. He has purpose and meaning for you now. We help each other move forward where God is leading, one step at a time, moving together.
It’s interesting when Peter said, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. This love is phileo, which basically means to have affection for, denoting personal attachment as a matter of sentiment or strong feeling toward a dear friend. This love is wonderful, but it’s based more on feelings, and feelings can be fickle.
Jesus said, Lovest thou me more than these. This love is agapeo, which is wider. It is not an impulse from the feelings.
Faith in Action
It is the Christian love. Coming from that gift within, it is a fruit of the Spirit. This kind of love seeks the welfare of all, like it says in Romans 15, 2. It works no ill to any, like it says in Romans 13, 8-10.
It takes advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others, especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith, like it says in Galatians 6, 10. The word feed is to pastor, feed, keep. It is primarily used of a herdsman, from the root meaning to nourish, the special function being to provide food, metaphorically portraying the duty of a Christian teacher to promote in every way the spiritual welfare of the brethren.
Again, Jesus Christ is instructing, preparing. He’s elevating Peter’s perspective and thinking for a new administration or period in which he was going to play a big part for God. In John 21, 16, He said to him again the second time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou agapeo me? He said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love phileo thee.
He said unto him, Feed my sheep. This feed metaphorically means to tend, to act as a shepherd. A great verse in Acts 20, 28 describes a shepherd.
I’m going to read it out of the Amplified Classic. Take care and be on guard for yourselves and the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you, bishops and guardians, to shepherd, tend and feed and guide the church of the Lord. And back in John 21, verse 17, He said unto him the third time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he had said unto him the third time, lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep. He establishes it for Peter by telling him again to feed, to pastor, to keep those who belong to the Lord. Peter clearly had deep affection for Jesus Christ as one has feelings for a dear close friend.
Walking in Love and Confidence
Soon Peter will truly make him Lord and experience the Christian love springing from that gift of Holy Spirit within. Jesus Christ gives us a great example of sharing grace with one another. We don’t deal with each other according to our past hurts, shortcomings or mistakes, whether we were the ones that caused the hurt or they caused the hurt on us.
It just doesn’t come up. We help each other move forward in life, elevating our perspective and thinking to what God is drawing us to. And God is always drawing us into a forward motion with Him.
Here’s how we can do this with one another. In Colossians chapter 3, verses 12 through 14, I’m going to read it out of the Amplified Classic. Loathe yourselves therefore as God’s own chosen ones, His own picked representatives, who are purified and holy and well-beloved by God Himself by putting on behavior marked by tenderhearted pity or compassion and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways and patience, which is tireless and long-suffering and has the power to endure whatever comes with good temper.
Doesn’t that describe how Jesus Christ lived grace? Well, we are clothed with the faith of Jesus Christ, and we are the ones now sent forth to carry on His work in His stead. And it’s that spirituality that we walk out on. It’s not based on our own natural ability.
Verse 13, Be gentle and forbearing with one another, and if one has a difference, a grievance, or complain against another, readily pardoning each other, even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must also you forgive. And above all these, put on love, agapeo, and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony. Self-will or self-pleasing is the negation of love.
And this world isolates people, getting them to focus on themselves, making everything about them. But when our focus shifts to God and what He made us in Christ Jesus, who we really are, everything changes. Our perspective is elevated, and we experience grace and wholeness in every category of our lives.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
The last example I’d like to look at is in Acts chapter 2, and it’s the community of believers. In this section, we see every believer was faithfully devoted to following the teachings of the apostles. Their hearts were mutually linked to one another.
There was a deep sense of awe and reverence to God. The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. There was great generosity with one another, and daily they met together with joyful hearts and tender humility.
And we’ll read Acts chapter 2, verse 47, and I’m going to read it out of the Passion Translation. They were continually filled with praises to God, enjoying the favor, grace of all the people, and the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were coming to life. We can’t put God in a box by thinking He only communicates to us one way.
Many times, God speaks to us through others. There’s something about being together in an environment of mutual respect and love, where we receive the answers and deliverance we need. We get what God wants us to hear in that moment.
God designed us that way to share His grace with one another as a family. In closing, I’d like to read Acts 4, verse 33, out of the Amplified Classic. And with great strength and ability and power, the apostles deliver their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And great grace, lovingkindness and favor and goodwill rested richly upon them all. We have that same strength, ability, and power in us. What does the testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus mean to you? Each of us are to bring the personal testimony of our own salvation wholeness into our daily living.
As we minister grace by speaking words that make for harmony and for mutual upbuilding, edification, and development, not tearing down, condemning, or being negative, we’ll understand that great grace resting richly upon us all.
Key Takeaways
- It’s interesting when Peter said, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
- Peter was grieved because he had said unto him the third time, lovest thou me?
- Soon Peter will truly make him Lord and experience the Christian love springing from that gift of Holy Spirit within.
- So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than these?
- And he said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “Living Grace”?
Michelle Cencich examines “Living Grace” through Philippians 2, Romans 14, John 20, John 21, showing how lord, grace, love shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from Philippians 2, Romans 14, John 20, John 21, Romans 15.
How can believers apply this teaching?
And he said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
Scripture References
Philippians 2; Romans 14; John 20; John 21; Romans 15; Romans 13
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
