The Work of Grace

Previously we established:

• Grace is a free gift from God 
• Any blessing in our lives is considered a grace from God 
• God created man and surrounded him by His grace 
• Man lost that grace as a result of sin and corruption 
• Man became uncapable of attaining righteousness on his own 
• The law could not help man attain righteousness 
• Man needed divine intervention to be able to attain righteousness 
• God graced man with the economy of salvation (Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, etc.)
• In order to attain salvation, we must have faith (God's grace) and works 
• Man cannot attain salvation without the work of God's grace 

What is the Work of Grace?

Introduction:

• Grace is a divine gift, given freely to us in various ways, and at various times 
• Grace is sent to those who are weak to strengthens them, and those who are strong to increase their strength 
• In spiritual life, God's grace plays a big role 
  • God's grace leads to repentance
    • Give examples; after St Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart" Acts 2:37
      
  • God's grace stops us from falling in sin 
    • Give examples
  • God's grace encourages us to attain virtues 
    • Give examples
  • Grace is a way of God reaching out to us to help us

Visitations of Grace:

• At certain times in our lives, God visits us by His grace
• Sometimes we find ourselves moved towards doing what is good - especially in the spiritual field 
• This is the work of God's grace
• The fathers refer to that as a "visitation of grace"
  • We are "visited" by God's grace which encourages us to do good at the moment 
    • Examples
• The icon of "Christ knocking on the door" describes the visitation of grace
• The fathers tell us that the visitations of grace come at the right time - in the right circumstances 
  

When do get visited by God's grace?

• We could be "visited" by God's grace at any time
• It usually can be felt in the heart
• It could be: 
  • In the middle of the liturgy
  • In the middle of my personal prayer
  • In the middle of sin (i.e. God's calling of Saul while he's going to Damascus)
  • It could be through an event in your life
  • Through a vision or a dream 
  • Through a message from your spiritual father
  • In the midst of hardships or trials 
    
• Let us look at the life of St Anthony as an example:
• We know at least 3 occasions where he was visited by God's grace and it was life changing for him
  • At his father's death - He realized that life on earth is temporary and less valuable than eternal life
  • Listening to the Gospel at church - He decided to leave everything and head to the desert 
  • When the lady rebuked him by the river - He decided to go far into the desert to live in solitude
• The same grace who made St Anthony a great saint is inside of me so what is the difference?

Who gets visited by God's grace? 

• God visits everyone with His grace 
  • Some are more sensitive to it God's grace than others 
    • Some are more tuned to listen to God's voice than other 
      • Jonah - (Was a visitation of grace to the Ninevites - He also was a visitation of grace to the mariners in the ship - In the process, the Lord visited Jonah himself)
      • The calling of Matthew
      • The visit to Zacchaeus
      • St Mary of Egypt - while in the midst of her sin
      • St Moses the strong - while searching for the true God

Reasons for visitations of grace: 

• To wake us up from laziness
• Leads us to repent 
• Ignites and strengthens our spiritual life
• Corrects the course of our lives sometimes 
• Reminds us with the consequences of a wrong do it to stop us
• Call us to service
  
• To aid us to carry on with our the service 
• Even with saints, to reach higher levels of sainthood
  
• Gives us a blessing

What should be our response towards visitations of grace? 

• It is important to note that God's grace works in us to produce good works but it does NOT force us to do good works (Grace and Free will) 
  • Grace is an internal movement towards what is good and Godly, but it does not force or pushes you to do anything, the decision has to come from you 
    
• We are in need of God's grace to be able to do anything good.  The Lord Jesus said "without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
• God's grace works with us all the time. However, the question is do we work with it or not?
• It depends on my response towards God's grace
• Let's take the Right and the Left hand thieves as an example:
  • Both were criminals 
  • Both were rightly punished 
  • Both saw the Lord in front of them (visited by Him)
    
  • However only one responded to that visitation and gained eternal life
    
• Sometimes may respond well to God's grace and some may resist it

What prevents God's grace from us? (Resisting God's grace)

• Free will dictates that we are free to respond to the God's grace or not 
• There are many things that prevents God's grace from me:
  • Being careless with the word of God (Not listening carefully to sermons, SS lessons, Bible study, etc.)
  • Focusing on the speaker instead of listening -(i.e. this abouna is too strict, that abouna is too spiritual for me, etc.)
  • Lack of circumspection when it comes to my spiritual canon  (i.e. not listening to the advise of my spiritual father)
  • Not living a true life of Obedience (i.e. I listen to my parents, servants, or abouna with no intention of obeying them) 
  • Resisting spiritual messages and warnings 
  • Not learning from previous mistakes  (repeated confessions)
  • Not participating in spiritual days or conventions (i.e. friends are not going)
  • Giving into strange ideology (i.e. the Church is living the stone age) “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy." Jonah 2:8
  • Lack of thanksgiving (i.e. Not considering the multitude of blessings in one's life)
  • Lack of faith - (i.e. doubting the presence of God's grace) "But without faith it is impossible to please Him" Hebrews 11:6
  • Negativity - (i.e. God doesn't love me)
  • Responding to the grace but not following through - (i.e. like Pharaoh in letting the people go)
  • Satan opposes God's grace - (i.e. You hear God's voice saying go reconcile with your friend, then you hear another voice saying "how about my dignity?")
• “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts" Hebrews 3:15
  • "Hear His voice" is the work of grace, "harden your hearts" is our response towards it

Can God's grace abandon us?

• Sometimes, out of God's love, He allows His grace to abandon us
  • To send us a message to learn from
  • As a warning in order to straighten our ways 
  • As a result of continuous resistance to the visitation of grace
    • King Saul
    • "Do not quench the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 5:19

How to benefit from the visitations of grace?

• Respond to the visitation of grace promptly
  • Do not say my will is weak
    • God's grace can strengthen your will - but you should respond to it 
  • Do not say my sin is too big
    • "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" Romans 5:20
      
  • Do not say I cannot do it
    • "My Grace is sufficient to you"
• We need to work with God's grace 
  • Grace and works 
    • God's grace will plant a seed, you need to water and care for the seed to grow
      
    • God's grace will save you from falling into sin, you do not return to that sin again 
• Pray for God's grace and to grow in God's grace
• Humble yourself
  • “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
  • St Mary - Full of grace
• Prayer to receive grace from God
  • Intercession of the saints 
  • Work of the church with you 
• Be ready in your heart
  • " But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12
• Strive to be worthy of that grace
  • "to the praise of the glory of His grace" Eph 1:6
• Give thanks
  • Consider that everything good in your life is a result of God's grace with you 
• Hold fast to every opportunity
  • Spend more time in prayers 
  • Go into a new depth in the liturgy 
  • Read more chapters in the Bible
• "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. " 2  Timothy 2:1

Growing in the grace "grow in the grace" 2 Peter 3:18

• Growing in the grace is a commandment that we are asked to obey 
• Not only to use the grace given to me but to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord 
• So how can we enjoy and grow in God's grace?
• Any growth can be measured - the measure of growing in grace is fruits 
  • Fruit of repentance
    • Real change "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance" Matthew 3:8
  • Fruit of the Spirit
    • Galatians 5:22-23
      
      But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
  • Fruit in the service