Apostle Paul, Grace & Peace Proclaimer

Bryan Sallee

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Grace and peace

Introduction scripture:

Psalm 95:1–6 ESV

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Announcements:

Insert in the bulletin, give you a heads up of activities for Advent

Advent starts next Sunday

Poinsettias

Psalm 95:1–7a ESV

Wes & Ione (sign up sheet)

Also be praying for Don & Judy Enabe

Introduction of Sermon:

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you (; ; ; ; ; ); the grace of the Lord Jesus be with your spirit (; ; ); grace be with you all (; ); grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (; ; ; ; ); grace and peace to you (; ; ; ; ; ; ); grace, mercy and peace (; ; ); grace be with those who love our Lord Jesus (); grace to you and peace from God (); may grace and peace be yours ().Ephesians

Grace and peace, is a foundational and informing greeting and salutation that it would benefit us to pay attention to this morning.

greeting and salutations

aloha

buenos dias—good day and good day

godspeed

I trust you will find this reply satisfactory, and remain yours faithfully, (J. R. R. Tolkien)

If you have talked on the phone, written a letter, or been alive long enough to speak the native language, you are familiar with greetings and salutations, closings and benedictions...

I remember writing letters back in the day.

It’s a fading past time, but I remember writing letters back in the day.

I moved 4 times in 3 years, across 3 states. I didn’t have the luxury of email, cell phones, and facetime, I relied upon writing letters to my friends.

I really like writing friends

the anticipation of hope awaiting their replay and finding out what was going on.

then it was emails

…I remember one particular summer Karen was in Kenya and I was living my first summer out of college.

Every day we wrote, or at least I wrote, hers was dependant upon internet…mine was like a jounral, dictating what had been going on while she was away

to karen I always started the letter with a term of endearement and ended it with a googly “Always and forever” Bryan David

around the same time I started dating Karen I remember studying the epistles in one of my bible classes toward the end of my college years and the repetition of Pauls greetings and salutations stuck with me.

Grace and peace

I loved how it carried two meanings, similar to the expression aloha…or buenos dias; Nice to see you or until we see you again.

I loved how it carried two meanings, similar to the expression aloha…or buenos dias.

Nice to see you or until we see you again.

So I began incorporating that phrase into my letters. Not so much into the greeting, but in the closing and benediction. I never liked sincerely too much…too formal. with regards or best wishes, all seemed to me (emphasis here) formulaic.

But grace and peace, was rich and hopeful and genuine and Christ centered (knowingly and unknowingly)...

It also has significant meaning…the verses that God used to call me back to Him was by grace through faith you have been saved, not of your own accord, it is the gift of God---not b/c of works, lest you would boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ for good works, which God had woven into our DNA beforehand that we should walk in them...

Grace is a gift that we can receive and it is also a gift we can bring...

But grace doesn’t stop with the gift, it flows into and through the one who receives it (or at least that is the capacity and the desired outcome)…much like this verse in ephesians....we are God’s handiwork, not to be enslaved to sin, shame and guilt, rather to experience the unfolding of grace in our life, in our being, and wherever we come in contact—that is where peace comes from.

a few years later

i came across the words of Peter and I had a modification to my closing statement—may the grace and peace of God be yours in abundance-or may the grace and peace of God be multipled unto you:

or may the grace and peace of God be multipled unto you:

This final sermon of the christian calendar is very fitting—”grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ...”

Ephesians 1:3–8 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

Ephesians 1:3–6 ESV

This is the grace of God that is desired to be received and unfolded in us

Furthermore, the peace of God is described in these words:

This is the grace of God that is desired to be received and unfolded in us

Ephesians 1:11–14 ESV

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

So I wanted to share with you a few thoughts and applications to these phrase Paul has woven into his letters and his teachings

1) Grace and peace vary in measure in our lives:

Thisdoes not mean that God is variable, as if he were a gracious God some days and not others. Nor does he mean that the objective status of peace between us and God comes and goes. If we stand in the unshakeable grace of God (), and if we are reconciled to God in unchangeable peace (), then what is multiplied to us is an increased and deepened experience of grace and peace. This reality is not simply status. It is the overflow of status in serenity, strength, and sweetness.

Hour by hour, and day by day, our enjoyment of grace and peace changes. It ebbs and flows. One moment we are carried by a wave of grace into a harbor of peace. An hour later, after a painful phone call, we are storm-tossed out of sight of land again. That is reality. We need to own it and seek continually to receive the gift of these words: “May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” New measures for new moments.

2) There is more grace to enjoy

Paul and Peter never assume your present experience of grace and peace cannot or should not be increased. They assume the opposite. They do not say, or imply, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you, unless you have all there is to have.” You never have all there is to have. That’s why this prayer is at the beginning of every letter. You always need more grace, more peace.

Since Paul doesn’t use a verb (“grace to you and peace”), we might try to water down his meaning to something like: “I pray you are now enjoying grace and peace.” No increase implied. You would try in vain. The word “to you” implies movement. Grace and peace are on the way. More is coming.

If we add to the this phrase the statement in

1 Peter 1:2 ESV

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

With Peter, there is no doubt what he means. He makes it explicit with a verb. The word “be multiplied” means “be increased,” “be more,” “be expanded.” He assumes we need more grace and peace. And we do. In this life we will never be able to say, “I have arrived. I have all the grace and peace I can use.” No you don’t. If there is more coming, you can have more. And you need more.

3) God is the one who multiplies our grace and peace

Peter uses the passive voice, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” The implied actor is God. We are stewards of “God’s varied grace” (). Grace does not just happen, it comes from God. “God gives grace to the humble” (). Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (). Peter’s prayer is that God act. “May God multiply grace to you and peace!”

But there is grace that is a response to conditions we meet: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (). God responds to humility with more grace. Humility is a condition of receiving this grace.

4) Grace and peace are multiplied throguh people

So it is with Peter’s words, “May grace and peace be multiplied (by God) to you.” God is being addressed. And the church is being addressed.

How does God desire us to be active in making grace and peace alive in us and in our world?

5) grace and peace comes throguh prayer

2 Peter 1:2–3 ESV

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

: 2-

2 Peter 1:10 ESV

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

2 Peter 1:10

And these words are not spoken in vain. Peter speaks them because he believes they matter. They are a means of bringing about what they aim at. They aim at more grace and more peace. So Peter believes that asking God to do this work will in fact be an instrument in bringing it about. God answers prayer. We should believe that too when we say these words over ourselves or others.

6 ) Another means of multiplied grace and peace is the letters to which these words introduce.

It is astonishing that Paul begins every letter with some form of “grace be toyou,” and ends every letter with some form of “grace be with you.” “To you” at the beginning. “With you” at the end. This pattern is unvarying. Why?

My suggestion is that at the beginning the letter is about to be read. And in being read, grace and peace will come to us. The letter itself — the word of God — will be the means of multiplying grace and peace to us. Then, at the end of the letter, Paul sees us leaving our encounter with the word and going out into the world, and he prays that grace go with us.

Peter confirms this understanding. In , he says explicitly that grace and peace are going to come “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ.” “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (). In other words, not only am I praying for grace and peace to increase, I am writing a letter to give knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ as kindling for the fire of this increase.

7) Consider the grace and peace of God in the season of life which you and I find ourselves?

This morning I am referencing closing words first---

grace and peace unto you as you embark on a new season of worship, of life, of followership, of seeking, of discovering, of _____....

Where in this past year have you needed God’s grace? Where have you needed His peace?

But we also keep in mind the usage as a greeting and salautaiton

We do not know what is on the horizon, but we can be sure of the grace and peace of God.

As the story of Christ unfolds once again (starting with Advent next week), we are reminded of God’s grace and His peace—we once again anticipate and look for His grace at work in our life and the unfolding of His peace

What are ways that we can walk in grace and peace?

receive the gift of salvation

invite Jesus to unfold HIs grace in your life—means of grace (usually is found in the places where we need His grace and mercy)

Experience the peace of Christ—where is their not peace? Where do you need God’s intervention, healing, transformation?

spiritual formation

spiritual disciplines

community

discipleship

Discover the story of Christ’s grace and peace incarnate, once again--

this is why we go through Advent, Epiphant, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and beyond

they are reminders of God’s activity and his continued desire for the gospel to unfold in us and though us (his people and His kingdom)

Let’s Pray

Piper: “The Christian life is not static. We are growing in grace and peace, or we are going backward.”Piper: “The Christian life is not static. We are growing in grace and peace, or we are going backward.”

First Corinthians: Unlocking the Scriptures for You What Is Ours? (1:3)

Paul prays for “grace and peace” for the Corinthians “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:3). Grace refers to God’s activity for our good. Grace is not just what we are to receive, but also what we are to give. We receive grace to give grace. Peace is the result of grace. Peace describes both the absence of alienations and the presence of agape.

First Corinthians: Unlocking the Scriptures for You What Is Ours? (1:3)

Grace and peace come from God and Jesus. In the Greek construction here, God and Jesus are linked up in a way to show that they are a unit. Jesus was God in flesh (John 1:1, 14). Two functions are spotlighted here—“Father” and “Lord.” Our God is both our Father who cares and our Lord who commands.

Opening Up Titus Grace and Peace

As a Christian, Titus had already known God’s grace. It was by grace he had been saved. But grace is needed not only at the outset of the Christian life. We need it all our days. It is by grace, for example, that the work of salvation continues. In all its parts, salvation is the fruit of God’s unmerited favour. We also need grace in the sense of strength or help—grace to love; grace to forgive; grace to pray; grace to serve the Lord, to endure affliction, to persevere to the end. Knowing that, Paul prayerfully wishes grace for Titus. Shouldn’t that be our prayerful wish for others?

Opening Up Titus Grace and Peace

Paul also wishes peace for Titus. Like every other believer, Titus was vulnerable to anxiety, and Paul would not have him anxious about anything. Instead, he would have him enjoy ‘the peace of God that transcends all understanding’ (Phil. 4:7) with all the blessing such peace brings. Hence his benediction: ‘peace’ to you ‘from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.’ Shouldn’t that be our prayerful wish for others, too?

Collins Thesaurus of the Bible C2a Grace Be to You

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you (Rom. 16:20; Rom. 16:24; 1 Cor. 16:23; 1 Thess. 5:28; 2 Thess. 3:18; Rev. 22:21); the grace of the Lord Jesus be with your spirit (Gal. 6:18; Phil. 4:23; Philem. 25); grace be with you all (Titus 3:15; Heb. 13:25); grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:3; Phil. 1:2); grace and peace to you (Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philem. 3; 2 Pet. 1:2; Rev. 1:4); grace, mercy and peace (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2 John 3); grace be with those who love our Lord Jesus (Eph. 6:24); grace to you and peace from God (Eph. 1:2); may grace and peace be yours (1 Pet. 1:2).

Charis & erene (grace and peace)

Paul’s salutations include the writer, the recipient, and the greeting proper, which follows the style of other letters of his time. Paul’s salutations add a new flavor, however, due to the meaning of the words “grace” and “peace” for believers in Christ.

Link this to the idea of Christ the King Sunday and the lead up to Advent.

Charis (“grace”) goes beyond the typical chairein (“greetings”; see ; ; ). By doing this he placed the focus on the unmerited blessings given to believers in Christ. Through God’s marvelous grace sinners are delivered from their sins and brought into a saving relationship with a holy God by the work of God on their behalf completely free of charge. This grace does not cease with salvation from sin’s penalty, but continues on as the foundation of the believer’s life with God throughout all eternity. These blessings of grace Paul and his associates wish for their readers.

Grace always brings benefits and one of these benefits is reflected in the word “peace” which the Apostle always associates with God’s grace. In fact, the order is significant. First grace and then peace. Until we know and appropriate grace, we can’t experience peace. “Peace” was a typical Jewish greeting (cf. ), but for the Christian, it carries a much deeper meaning than it did among the ancient Hebrews. So exactly what was it that Paul was wishing for his readers? The following study is a brief overview of the grace and peace offered to believers in Christ.

Last week spoke to places of thanksgiving, of fostering and nurturing an attitude of thanksgiving.

Where can we take another movement that leads us into the realm of grace and peace.

For years I have used this phrase as a closing to letters. At times I add the phrase may the grace and peace of God be yours in abundance.

Grace has been something I struggle with receiving, but I don’t want just a gift, I want the gift that keeps on giving. Grace that keeps on giving is peace.

What is the gift you need to prepare to receive this season?

where do you need the peace of God to rule and reign and unfold?

I am a person that lives in my head. some live int he heart others move in the body. But as a head person, I think it all through. I often joke about tyaking 6 months to buy a car. I have to think through and process the feelings before I do anything. That’s why fear is a powerful emotion that keeps me captive.

what about you people that feel it?

What about you that know it (think about the triads of the enneagram?)

What about grace and peace isncribed upon the book of our heart.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/june/22.50.html?share=

God’s peace, a result of His grace, dispels the war within my heart and mind. The chaos in my life that came from trying to live up to the perceptions and expectations of others was driven out as He restored me to Himself, quieting my heart and mind.

Do you see the grace and peace in these verses?

God’s grace: “The grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people.” Jesus Christ is God’s grace in the flesh, appearing to everyone in order to bring them salvation.

God’s peace: “He gave His body for our sakes and will [not only] break us free…” (). God’s peace is brought about through the redemptive work on the cross. Christ’s death redeemed us, or freed us from the debt we owed because of our sin. His blood paid our ransom and restored us to peaceful fellowship with God.

Grace and peace. You can’t have one without the other. Grace given by God. Peace made possible through the shed blood of Christ on the cross. Both undeserved by fallen humankind. But both poured out abundantly upon us because God desired relationship with the people He created. Grace greater than all our sins. Peace that passes all understanding.

Grace and peace. Far more than just two churchy words on a list, they encompass the beauty of God.

http://www.renner.org/mercy/grace-mercy-peace/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012/02/23/whats-in-a-greeting-the-epistles-of-paul/

http://bibleone.net/Salutations.htm

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/may-grace-and-peace-be-multiplied-to-you

https://odb.org/2010/07/20/grace-mercy-and-peace/

https://www.biblestudytools.com/classics/moody-anecdotes-illustrations/grace.html

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HFBT87M/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Be multipled:

Your love is like radiant diamonds, your love will surely come find us like blazing wildfire calling you name

god of mercy, sweet love of mine, i have surrendered to your design.

may this offering stretch cross the sky, the hallejulaj be multipled

as we say good bye to one year and embark on the next, it’s like the words of Paul are beckoning to us across the ages: a salutation and a blessing...

the grace and peace of God, be multiplied.

may you live long and prosper...

aloha

buenos dias—good day and good day

godspeed

I trust you will find this reply satisfactory, and remain yours faithfully, (J. R. R. Tolkien)

I remember writing letters back in the day.

the anticipation of hope awaiting their replay and finding out what was going on. then it was emails…I remember one particular summer Karen was in Kenya and I was living my first summer out of college.

Every day we wrote, or at least I wrote, hers was dependant upon internet…mine was like a jounral, dictating what had been going on while she was away

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