Romans 16
The Grace of our Lord Jesus be With You
Grace is to be a two-way street
How sad it is when favor is only traveling one way
When the Giver of grace receives no appreciation
But that is not the case of the Roman believers
They looked on the Lord Jesus Christ with great favor
You see them smiling in the presence and work of the Lord
There is a battle with the devil
Sometimes you go to bed discouraged with the evil around you
But when you know you have done all to stand
In right relationship with God and others, you can rest in peace, because
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Romans 16:20
Because God’s grace is with our spirit
Things on the outside doesn’t stop the joy on the inside
Grace is like the sun, it is always shining
Night may come upon us and clouds may try to separate us
From its refreshing light, but the sun is still there
Repentance will break through the clouds
Patience will get us through the night
Knowing God’s Grace is upon us gives us peace in all circumstances
I hope you are enjoying the Grace of God
And your desire is to see
All your friends and family also walk in the fullness of His Grace
The Grace of our Lord Jesus be With You
Grace is one of those common
words in the Christian faith.
I grew up in the church where
grace was defined as unmerited favor.
That God’s grace…
His favor for you and everyone else who-
ever lived has God’s grace on their lives.
When you look at the cross and
see Christ’s love for the world played out
by taking on our sin in a sacrificial death…
You have to say that is unmerited grace.
So, what does that mean?
Are we all now saved and we can continue
to sin because grace abounds?
God forbid.
God has revealed an amazing grace…
That opens the door to everyone.
But just because the door is open
does not mean you and I live
in His favor or grace.
God does not look favorably on disobedience.
Because of His grace…
He is merciful.
It is grace and mercy that gives
us the opportunity to repent.
It is our repentance and doing His will
that causes grace to grow in our lives.
The grace of the cross opens the door
for more grace as we enter into His presences
through acts of obedience.
So, what does it mean when we
read at least six times in the Bible…
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
These are words of desire.
You can’t help but to see Paul wanting
something for the believers to have…
Something, obtainable.
Meaning the grace of Jesus
is not something everyone has.
Paul’s desire is the greatest desire
you and I can want for someone…
Wanting them to experience
God’s full satisfaction…
God’s delight with them.
So how do we get God’s
satisfaction and delight?
If we back up a few verses in Romans 16…
I think Paul already sees they are living
in a way that pleases God
and causes His grace to grow in their lives.
Everyone has heard about your obedience,
so I am full of joy over you;
but I want you to be wise about what is good,
and innocent about what is evil.
Romans 16:19
Obedience…
Wise in doing good and innocent in what is evil.
These three things increase God’s grace in our lives.
Paul adds to his desire for believer…
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Grace, Love, and Fellowship
In Galatians 6:18 and Philippians 4:23, Paul says…
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
There is a wonderful feeling inside of us
when we know we have been pleasing to God.
You see grace is a two-way street.
How sad it is when favor is only traveling one way.
When the Giver of grace receives no appreciation.
But that is not the case of the Roman believers…
They looked on the Lord Jesus Christ with great favor.
You see them smiling in the
presence and work of the Lord.
There is a battle with the devil.
Sometimes you go to bed discouraged
with the evil around you…
But when you know you have done all to
stand in right relationship with God and others…
You can rest in peace, because….
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
Romans 16:20
Because God’s grace is with our spirit…
Things on the outside doesn’t stop the joy on the inside.
Grace is like the sun, it is always shining.
Night may come upon us and
clouds may try to separate us
from its refreshing light…
But the sun is still there.
Repentance will break through the clouds.
And patience will get us through the night.
And knowing God’s grace is upon us
gives us peace in all circumstances.
I hope you are enjoying the grace of God.
And your desire is to see all your friends and family
also walk in the fullness of His grace.
So, for you I pray…
May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Scripture Reading
Romans 16:20 NIV
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Romans 15:33
The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
1 Corinthians 16:23
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Galatians 6:18
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
Philippians 4:23
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
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