The Beauty Of Grace

Jesus is Really Grace

July 20, 2020 Dr. Pete Norris Season 6
The Beauty Of Grace
Jesus is Really Grace
Show Notes Transcript
Speaker 1:

Welcome to today's program. The beauty of grace and I'm pastor Pete Norris of harvest fellowship, church, Goldsboro, North Carolina. Today, we want to talk about Jesus is really grace. You know, so many times in our lives, we, we look at grace and, and we don't really fully understand the message of grace. You know, we wanna, we want to wrap a little bit of works. We want to wrap a little bit of law. We wanna, we wanna think that grace is something that gets us say, but it doesn't keep us. And I want to kind of clear that up today because when I began to study and begin to eight or nine years ago, when God really began to do with my heart in regards to grace, and that grace was a person in his name was Jesus. And that laughs we're going to be transformed. We understood that grace was unmerited favor that it was favor that you didn't do anything to deserve. It just kinda came upon the scene when Jesus came cause grace and truth came through Jesus. And I want to go to Matthew chapter eight and two, three, two, and three. And I want to talk to you about today that Jesus really is grace. And so we see a story here and it creates a picture of the mercy and grace that Jesus really exemplified. When he walked upon the earth in Matthew chapter eight, verse two, it says this and behold a leopard came and worshiped him saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Then Jesus put his hand out and he touched him saying, I am willing be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Now I want you to realize something because we just read this text. You walk away with the idea that Jesus reached out and touched him. And he immediately, he was made clean and, and that's what we've preached in the church. And that's what we exemplified in the church. And that's what we've tried to practice in the church. But I want you to really take a look at this as it'd be hold a leopard came and he worshiped him saying, Lord, I know you're willing and you can make me clean. I'm not real sure you will. Because of what I've done is leprosy represents sin, and I'm not even supposed to be out among people. I'm not even supposed to be around people and everybody, I can't touch anybody c ause anybody I touch or anybody touches me, becomes unclean and becomes just like me and the Lord put out his hand and he touched him. Now I want you to understand something. How long has it been since t his l eopard, this man with leprosy has had a physical touch from anybody. It's been a very long time and Jesus immediately went against the rules and b egin to stretch out his hand. And he began to touch him. And he, he said, I'm willing now be cleansed. And immediately the leprosy was cleansed. You know, now a lot of times in today's society, we say, don't do that and don't do that. And don't touch that. Don't have anything to do with that. And don't be around that. Don't hang out with those folks. But if you notice Jesus under the law, sin was very contagious and it still is. Anytime law is preached it's sins going to show up. But under grace, righteousness is contagious. We understand that when Jesus touched this man with leprosy immediately, Jesus was supposed to be unclean. But if you notice he was not unclean, the man that was clean, unclean became clean when something clean, touched unclean and see, I believe that's the way it is today because I really feel like a lot of times, and this time and this season of our life, we are a preaching, a lot of law. We're preaching. A lot of you don't do this and you don't do this and this'll happen. And if you do this and you don't do this, then this is going to happen. But I believe that under the law, you don't need the Holy spirit to preach law, but I think you have to have the Holy spirit to preach grace. And so we see this man here was being touched by somebody that didn't become like him because he was touched by him. Now we're in a season and a time in our lives where a pandemic is running wild in America and around the world. And we're afraid we're wearing masks. We're doing all these things. And, and I'm all for that. I, I understand the, the, the reason for that, but I want you to understand something that I believe is more powerful than that is that under the law, seeing is gonna run rapid. Anytime law was preached. And I, and also believe in first John chapter four, verse 10, that we get an even greater revelation to this marvelous grace, because Jesus reached out and touched this man with leprosy and Matthew chapter eight. And immediately that man was made cleaning. That man was made whole what a powerful revelation, because under the old covenant you'd bring a lamb or his sheep to the priest and the priest would examine the lamb. He would search the lamb out. And if the lamb was good, then the center that had brought the lamb would place his hands on the Ram or the, or the, or the sheep. And he would release all his sins into the sheet and then they would cut the throat of the sheep and it would take the sins and the sinner would go away completely cleansed. But if you notice they never check the sinner, they always check the lamb. Now in first, John in John chapter one verse 29, John said, behold, the lamb of God, that's going to take away the sin of the world. Now this man named Jesus was full of grace and truth. And he took away the sins of the world. And because of that, you and I no longer have sin. We're absolutely free because Jesus is truly grace.