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Published: Nov. 23, 2012, 4:11 a.m.

Grace.\xa0 What is it?\xa0 How do we experience it?\xa0 What do we do with it?\xa0 Join us for this in depth study of Grace and it\u2019s effect on our lives.

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Title of Message:\xa0 Grace Defined

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Grace is GETTING what you don\u2019t deserve.

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Mercy is NOT GETTING what you DO deserve.

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1.\xa0\xa0\xa0 Grace is a choice.

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(Colossians 3:3) (NLT) \u201cFor you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.\u201d

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(1 John 2:1) (NLT) \u201cMy dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.\u201d

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(Romans 8:1) \u201cTherefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,\u201d

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Do you trust your Advocate or your Accuser?

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2.\xa0\xa0\xa0 Grace took my place.

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Grace is God loving, God stooping, God coming to the rescue, God giving himself generously in and through Jesus Christ. \u2013John Stott

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(Matthew 27:11) (NLT) \u201cNow Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. \u201cAre you the king of the Jews?\u201d the governor asked him. Jesus replied, \u201cYou have said it.\u201d

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(Matthew 27:12-14) (NLT) But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. \u201cDon\u2019t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?\u201d Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor\u2019s surprise.

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(Matthew 27:15-16) (NLT) Now it was the governor\u2019s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd\u2014anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.

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(Matthew 27:17-18) (NLT) As the crowds gathered before Pilate\u2019s house that morning, he asked them, \u201cWhich one do you want me to release to you\u2014Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?\u201d\xa0(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

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(Matthew 27:19) (NLT)\xa0Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: \u201cLeave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.\u201d

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(Matthew 27:20-21) (NLT) Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. So the governor asked again, \u201cWhich of these two do you want me to release to you?\u201d The crowd shouted back, \u201cBarabbas!\u201d

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(Matthew 27:22) (NLT) Pilate responded, \u201cThen what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?\u201d They shouted back, \u201cCrucify him!\u201d

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3.\xa0 Grace is available for all.

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(Romans 3:23-24) (NLT) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God\u2019s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

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(Romans 3:25-26) (NLT) For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.