The gift of grace

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:4–7 (NIVUK)

Introduction

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. On this special day, we celebrate the gift of grace. God’s saving grace, revealed to us in this baby born in Bethlehem, is the greatest gift we could ever receive. God’s grace appeared to save us. God’s grace renews and transforms us. God’s grace gives us hope for our future. Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,
make us holy in the truth.
Your Word is truth.
Give us hearts to receive your gift of grace today.
Amen.

Grace has saved us

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy…

Titus 3:4–5a (NIVUK)

When the angels proclaimed the birth of Jesus, the Saviour, they announced it as “good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Lk. 2:10). When Jesus arrived in the world as a human being, God’s kindness and love appeared. When that happened, our salvation was suddenly possible. It was so close you could almost touch it. In the case of Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, they could touch it.

God has done all this for us because of His mercy. He doesn’t keep track of who is naughty or nice. He doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t keep record of wrongs (1 Co. 13:5). He did not give us Jesus because we deserved it. He did it because we don’t. He did it because we need saving. That is what the grace of God is all about.

This is a profound truth that goes against all normal ways of thinking. You get what you deserve. You have to prove your worth. Promotions and pay rises are earned, not given. If human beings were to design our own God based on how we understand things, that god would demand we earn every blessing we get and, on the flipside, punish every mistake.

When Jesus appeared, God saved us out of His mercy. When we say that our God is a God of grace, that’s what we mean. He chooses not to give us what we do deserve, and He gives us what we don’t. We didn’t deserve Jesus, but He was born anyway.

The grace of God has saved us.

Grace is changing us

5b He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour…

Titus 3:5–6 (NIVUK)

God’s grace has saved us and grace continues to change us. Jesus only lived as a man on earth for a short time, but when He returned to His Father’s side, God did not leave the world. The Holy Spirit continues to work around us, in us, and through us.

The message we proclaim is the same every Christmas: Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That is worth celebrating, but not only as an event in the past. We also celebrate the impact that has on us every day, through the Holy Spirit’s work.

Psalm 98 tells us to “sing to the Lord a new song” (Ps. 98:1). Christmas, of all times of the year, is when we do not sing new songs at all. We stick to the carols we know and love, and they bring us so much joy. But that’s not exactly what the psalmist is on about.

We can sing an old song in a new way. We can proclaim an old truth in a new day. The story of Christmas and the message behind it is the same every year, but we hear it at a different time and in a different place. Old songs are new because the Spirit renews us. Old stories are new because the Spirit gives us new birth.

We celebrate the once-off event of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem that cold winter’s night, but we also celebrate the renewal that continues to shape us because of that moment. In both cases—the Saviour’s birth and the Spirit’s renewal—God’s grace is at work.

God’s grace has saved us. God’s grace is changing us.

Grace gives us a future

7 …having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:7 (NIVUK)

We are saved by grace, and grace is still changing us. Grace also gives us a future.

Because we have been saved by Jesus’ arrival in the world, we have a new identity. That identity secures our future, not just in this life but in all eternity. When Jesus came into the world, He made us heirs of His own kingdom. When He came into the world, He came down to our level, but He elevated us to His level before God.

In Isaiah 62, we read that, as a result of what God has done, His people “will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted” (Is. 62:12).

God’s action changes our future, who are right now, and how people see us.  Isaiah says that people will look at the Christian Church and see something they want (“Sought After”). They will see a bunch of people that are somehow different from the rest of the world, set apart maybe. They may not realise what makes us different, but that’s for us to proclaim.

Because of God’s grace, which appeared when Jesus arrived, our future is secure. We live in hope, even in a world that, to a large extent, has deserted God. But He does not desert us, which the Christmas story reminds us of. The grace of God is the greatest gift we could ever receive.

Conclusion

Grace has saved us. Grace is changing us. Grace gives us a future.

Today, we sing to the Lord maybe with old songs, but having been reborn in the Holy Spirit and renewed in our joy as His people.

Then let us all with one accord
sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
who has made heaven and earth of nought,
and with His blood mankind has bought.

The first Nowell, verse 5