Eph 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
	The weeks before Christmas, we began our introductory remarks with regard to the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. We will not spend too much time with a specific review this morning. We will, however, very briefly revisit some of the key points that we have before us in the opening passages of this letter.
	Everything has its place and purpose in Jesus Christ. Nothing is haphazard or fate, as this world declares. Everything was planned and ordained by God in the fulfillment of His Only Begotten Son. It is all in place to bring forth eternal glory to His praise, honor, and adoration. In line with His eternal plan, He has made us saints, members of His Beloved. This is not a position that we can earn or strive to achieve. It is the perfect work of Christ Jesus that has established us into the realm of being His Body. We are brought into the perfection of Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Word of God actively working in us on this earth, what is already true of us spiritually, in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ.
	We also traced the development of grace through the classical Greek interpretations up to the point of reference which indicated that grace became known as something done without expectation of return. It was a freely bestowed action upon a person for no other reason than the free hearted expression of the generosity and the love of the giver. This was on a human level. Consider the fact that mankind bestows grace only upon those deemed worthy of it. Grace is given to the select few and it is always an imperfect expression of selflessness, as we call it. 
The Lord God Almighty has given expression to His Grace in a measure far beyond human understanding. Grace is freely given without reservation or restrictions. God chose to love us, those who were at enmity with Him. We were defiantly proud and seeking to be gods unto ourselves, and still the Grace of God was shed forth upon us through the death and resurrection of God’s own Son. Paul expresses the differences of this very truth in Rom 5:7-10 Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man - though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 
	Once more we turn to an excellent and uplifting declaration of this truth by Wuest. He refers to the Apostle Peter’s use of charis, grace, in the following passage from 1 Peter 2:18-20 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing. For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval. As Wuest states, in a rather long quote, Peter uses the word in its meaning of "that which is beyond the ordinary course of what might be expected and is therefore commendable," in his first epistle…, where the words "thankworthy" and "acceptable" are the translations of charis which appears in the Greek text. Surely, for a slave to manifest a spirit of patient submission toward a master who mistreats him, is an action beyond the ordinary course of what might be expected and is therefore commendable. The usual reaction on the part of a slave who is mistreated is to rebel against his master.
But how this purely classical meaning of the word describes what took place at Calvary. All the human race could expect in view of its sin, was the righteous wrath of a holy God, that and eternal banishment from His glorious presence. But instead, that holy God stepped down from His judgment seat and took upon Himself at Calvary's Cross, the guilt and penalty of human sin, thus satisfying His justice and making possible the bestowal of His mercy. And this He did, not for those who were His friends, but His bitter enemies, unlovely creatures saturated with sin. End of Quote (from Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, Copyright 1940-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Copyrights © renewed 1968-73 by Jeannette I. Wuest. All rights reserved.)
All of this is accomplished and expressed by God’s Grace which is far, far beyond the furthest imagining of any human thought or idea. There is nothing else as powerful and as stirring and as moving and as beautiful in all of creation. Apart from the grace of God, there is no life, nothing in existence. All that God has planned and purposed, in the great love with which He has loved us, is brought forth by His Grace in Jesus Christ. Our life in Christ, on this earth, is only possible by the grace of God. Our day by day walk is sheltered and guided by His grace. Our every situation is covered fully in His grace. Each circumstance and trial that we endure comes to us by the grace of God. That is why we can thank God in everything, no matter how it appears to our eyes and our minds, knowing that His grace is sufficient to bring forth His love through everything. The tremendous truth of Rom 8:28, is our comfort because it is written by the very Spirit of God into our hearts by His grace We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
	 Let us learn to more fully appreciate the Grace of God as we see His heart of Love evidenced livingly in our lives. There is no end to the grace that He has lavished upon us in Christ Jesus. It is infused into the very core of our beings by the effective ministry of the Holy Spirit as we more and more seek to live our lives unto Him alone. The Apostle begins this letter to the Ephesians with the intent that the readers will be partakers of the divine favor of God, He being the source of every blessing. 
We find this as the Apostle continues in Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, Without the grace of God, there is no favor with God, no blessing that would be ours. However, by the grace of God, we have received every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ. By God’s grace, there is nothing that is held back from us. Jesus Christ is the sum of all that can be given by God. Just consider that for a moment. By the Grace of God, we have received everything in Jesus Christ. There is nothing else that God can give us. The Almighty, Omnipotent God has exhausted every treasure in heaven in blessing us with His Son. The infinite resources of the Creator of all things has nothing else to give outside of Jesus Christ. Knowing this, is there any doubt that all eternity will be insufficient to receive that complete blessing of everything in Our Lord and Savior? This should well up such heartfelt joy and thanksgiving from within our souls to know that we are the focused object of God’s Grace. There is so much that we will find, if we but seek to know the fullness of our placement as members in the Body of Christ. This transcends any earthly understanding or status. It is ours simply because God so chose to love us unto Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son, the utmost expression of His Grace poured out upon us.  
That grace is so multifaceted that human language can never describe it thoroughly, so please realize that we are but seeking to know a little bit more of the Grace of God than we have hitherto fore understood. As we proceed with our consideration of God’s Grace, God’s tremendous and effective grace, we will loosely use Adam Clarke’s studies concerning grace, charis in the Greek. We will look at many scriptures that will detail and further express the heart of God in His grace. 
Clark sees a number of aspects of grace from which we would benefit in a deeper, albeit limited and slight comprehension of what and how God’s grace is so freely lavished upon us in Jesus Christ. 
Clark’s first example of God’s grace is that The word charin signifies in general favour of benevolence, but especially that favour which is powerful and active, and loads its objects with benefits. End of quote (from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.) Our lives are fully enriched in the favor of God. That favor is active and powerful beyond any imagining. That Holy God Almighty would even choose to deal with us in His favor should boggle our heart and mind. 
We see this in the announcement of the Angel to Mary in Luke 1:30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Oh what depth of consideration this must have taken in the heart and soul of Mary. There are several passages that state that she pondered these things in her heart. How could she not ponder them? God had sent an angel to give her a message directly from the heart of God. He was covering her with His grace, His favor, His power, and His sovereignty in the birth of the very Son of God for no other reason than that He chose to favor her with this tremendous honor.
Then, in Luke 2:40, we see the active grace of God witnessed in the growth and development of Jesus as a child. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. This was the covering of grace that hovered over and guided the physical growth of the very Son of God. Please consider that God’s grace was so powerful and so active that it did not just stop with Jesus, but rather in Jesus, we are the continued recipients of this overwhelming favor of God. That favor, that grace of God is of such crucial necessity as we walk and live on this earth. Our growth; physically, mentally, and spiritually, is set in the Grace of God. He is the One who directs every aspect of our development and strength. He is our wisdom, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He opens the very Word of God into our hearts and souls, just as He did with the Son of Man.
Then consider what we are told in Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. Not only did He know the grace of God, but, by that very grace, He was given favor in the eyes of men. There is a very, very, urgent element that we all need to apprehend at this point. This world teaches that we need to impress our fellow workers, fellow students, friends, and enemies with our prowess, with our strength, with our wisdom and insight. By whatever means that we have at our disposal, we must earn the favor and respect of men. God, however, has a completely different manner of expressing His favor. As our lives grow in Him, as our hearts flow freely unto Him, as we run the race with the only goal of Jesus Christ as our motivation of life, He will then give us favor, even in the sight of men. Our lives are lived unto God, by His grace, not unto men for their paltry expressions of wavering favor. Let us yearn for the favor of God, not men, and watch as God brings forth favor from even those around us witnessing our lives as they are lived completely unto God. God’s grace will do this to perfection.
Witness this active, powerful grace of God in the Apostles as recorded in Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. These were men who had cowered in their own inabilities and fears until the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then, because they were filled with the grace of God, by the Holy Spirit, a huge transformation took place. They were no longer fearful of proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ. They spread forth the Good News of salvation with no further regard to personal safety or concern about the reproach of the Jewish leadership. The grace of God gave them the courage and the desire and the powerful ability to speak forth the glorious name of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. This was the power of God’s active favor, His grace, as bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit.
This then blends with the second aspect of grace as brought forth by Clarke. It is that of what the favor, the grace of God communicates into the one so graced. Hence, it is often used for the blessing which it dispenses; for, if God be favourably disposed toward a person, His beneficent acts, in that person's behalf, will be a necessary consequence of such favour.: End of quote (from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
It wasn’t just the Apostles and the early church who were strengthened in the might of the grace of God. All Christians receive this loving benevolence of God at work in our lives through the Holy Spirit. God withholds nothing from His Beloved people. As an example, witness the view of grace that Barnabas saw when he was sent to Antioch. The Christians there were growing in the grace and the strength of God, without having been instructed directly by the Apostles. Rather, the Lord had sent the word of His Good News through other Christians who had traveled through Antioch. The Church was alive and vibrant in the favor of God and that news reached the Apostles in Jerusalem. They sent Barnabas to see what exactly was going on in Antioch. Acts 11:23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; 
He saw the grace of God. What a glorious statement to be recorded in the Word of God about His church. His glory was evident, was seen in all His power and activity. God’s Grace, in the effective ministry of the Holy Spirit led other Christians to spread abroad the glorious and triumphant message of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God. Oh that the same could be true of every gathering of the church. What a witness would be spread forth if the world would see the power and the active glorious grace of God manifested in all the Body of believers.
Would that there would be yearning hearts desiring the leading and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as He opens the Word of God into our hearts. That there would be instant obedience to His leading in our every interaction with each other and with all those brought by God into our lives. No! We know that this is only by the Grace of God, so let us seek together, with hungry hearts after the fullness of Jesus Christ, to grow in His grace. To relish His Word and His leading as our very life.
This is not simply a gathering together because we have to, or because it is tradition, or because we feel a sense of guilt, or because we think that we will receive something, or because we are looking for the admiration of others as they view our supposed faithfulness. We need to come to God in the purity of spirit and heart which desires only to be completely put to self-death that the Grace of God can be fully witnessed in the lives that we live before God and before man. 
Christ Himself is the witness to this truth and our goal of life. The Apostle John recognized this as he wrote in John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. Jesus Christ was the evidence of the grace of God in the fact that even as He lived on this earth, in His ministry before His death and resurrection, He lived forth the grace and the truth of God. The Father was so much the focus of Jesus’ earthly walk that He presented the glory of God in a manner which had never been so fully and richly proclaimed. The grace of God was the very life of Christ, and it opened the eyes of those who would see the glory of God. That same grace needs to infuse itself into our hearts and minds and souls so that our lives are lived only unto the glory of God. Grace is our life in Christ. That grace of God should be in evidence today. It is a gift of God for our moment by moment walk on the earth right now, not just in some future time. It is the grace of God that has brought us this far, and it is the grace of God that will see us through to the very end of our time on this earth and will cover us fully throughout all the eternal ages yet to come.
Lord willing, we will continue with the glorious grace of God declared so vibrantly by the Apostle Paul and all the writers of the New and Old Testament. Please join in a most fervent prayer that we will come to know even more of what is involved in being so loved by God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, covered in His Grace. Amen
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.