Grace Message:
~ Grace ~
What is Grace? What is the purpose of Grace? Who has Grace? These are important question which need to be answered and understood by God’s people.
I will attempt to bring some light on this important subject.
Who was the first person in the Word of God to find ‘Grace’ in the eyes of God?
Genesis 6:8–But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Noah was the first person recorded to have found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
What advantage was this to Noah? He alone with his family was saved when the destruction of that first world came. Noah closed out that age and started another age.
Gen.19:19-Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown unto me in saving my life: and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
This is Lot talking to the Angel of the Lord who came down to Sodom to deliver Lot and his family from the destruction coming to Sodom and surrounding cities.
So Lot was the second person recorded to have found grace in the eyes of the Lord. What advantage was this to Lot? He was saved from the destruction of Sodom.
Now, for a great surprise! Who was the third person recorded to have found grace in the eyes of the Lord?
Ex. 33:12-And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people; and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me, Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
v13-Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
v14-And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. (so, His presence and rest is part of the meaning of having GRACE).
v15-And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
v16-For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
v17-And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; FOR THOU (you) hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
Now, see that Moses had tried to procure grace for the people, too. But God reiterated his first statement to Moses that he only had found grace in God’s eyes.
Now, a marvelous thing happens: v18-And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.
v19-And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. (here God is telling Moses, I will grant GRACE to those I choose; not your people).
v20-And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
v21-And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
v22-And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:”
v23-And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Now, a lot of revelation is in these passages of Scripture.
The rock Moses is placed on is Jesus. We are said to be in his hand; so Moses was covered in Jesus’ hand.
Now, the assumption here, by most churches, is that Moses was shown the law side of God’s dealings; that he was shown the OT.; the ‘dark’ side; but right the opposite is true.
FACE-in the Heb. dictionary-#6440 (Strong’s)-is used to mean fore time, against, anger, battle, fear of, front, heaviness, of old time, upside +down.
Now, the fact of this is, Moses was actually NOT shown the first covenant, the law, the OT., which was the first move, the old time, the time of battle, anger fear of disobeying, and the upside down thinking this has brought about.
God said you can not see my face and live; why? Because the ‘face’ was the law, the first covenant. Shewbread is also in the meanings of face; so the shewbread is part of that first covenant. another one was time past. So he is showing, that there is no LIFE in that law; only death. Moses was not shown this; Moses was given life.
This #6440 is from the root word of #6437-which means to cast out, empty, go away. pass away. turn aside, away, back face, self).
So all this together proves that FACE meant that which was to pass away= the law. This is why Moses was not allowed to go into Canaan: that cannon land (which is the Israel today)- was polluted, it is not the true Promised land. It says Abraham sojourned here; (but, he always counted himself to be a stranger there; he never accepted this as His place;) but he kept his eyes on a land very far off: the Holy City; the New Jerusalem; the New Covenant People; the Bride of Christ; He knew this land was not the true land for God’s people; it was for the bond-children (law people). So, since Moses, belonged to the Grace age, the true people of God, the Grace people, He did not go into this polluted land. He died, and was resurrected ( for he was seen alive on the Mt. of transfiguration with Jesus).
Remember, Moses had found GRACE. but those people had not; even though Moses had interceded with God for them to find grace.
The word ‘back’ in verse 23 “thou shalt see my back parts”-comes from Heb. # 268-the hinder part; hence behind, backward; also facing north, hereafter, time to come, without.
Now, it is clear from this, that the ‘back’ part would be the New Testament; the time to come; the ‘hereafter’ (from his time).
So, Moses actually saw the grace period; the time yet to come in his time. Moses was not shown the law; for this is death; this is darkness; bondage. Moses had grace; Moses was not in darkness; Moses had LIFE; Moses had GRACE!
This is why the presence of God was with Moses; but not with the people. At one time God wanted to kill them all and save Moses and start another nation from Moses; but Moses interceded with God not to do this. God would not do it, for Moses stood between God and the people; so God did not look at the people; he looked at Moses; when he looked at Moses, he saw GRACE; therefore, He could not destroy Moses’ people.
By the same token, when God looks at those of us who live by Grace, he does not see us; He is looking at Jesus; that is what Grace is; Jesus covers us; He is our covering; therefore, God sees us as NOT GUILTY.
Now, go back and see that part of what he gave Moses was REST. But when you study Hebrews 4, we find that Jesus did not give those people REST. Only Moses had that rest. Not those people. Why? Because, Moses had entered into the true rest, He had the presence of God with him; He had GRACE.
Now, what advantage is this GRACE? Read Exodus 34:7-Keeping mercy for thousands (remember this does not mean a certain number: it means those who learned and taught the truth)-forgiving iniquity and that will by no means CLEAR the GUILTY; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Now, this shows that GRACE is a means by which mercy is granted; and one is not considered to be GUILTY. They are cleared; forgiven iniquity; not guilty! Glory!
v8-And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
v9-And he said, If now I – (only I) – (here Moses accepts the fact that God rejected his plea for GRACE for this people)-have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people; (here he acknowledges why this people did not obtain GRACE)-AND pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
Now, for a glorious thing; look at 11Cor.3: Moses was ministering death (v7) to the people; yet he himself had life. He was ministering law; yet he himself had GRACE!
v9-This ministration had glory; but this glory was to be done away. (you people are right; the law was not done away; you are still under it; but it is death; there is no glory left in ministering the law today). The children of Israel could not behold the face of Moses : for this ‘glory’ was to be done away. (people, there is no ‘glory‘ is administering the law today; those who have brought you back under the law, have no glory in ministering this to you; that glory was done away; there is NO glory in this today)-(v13-they could not look to the end of that which is abolished: (the end would have been the starting of the New Covenant; they could not see this).
v14-their minds were blinded; only in Christ is this blindness taken away; only when one comes to GRACE; NO LAW.
If you feel you HAVE to observe a certain day; HAVE to go to a certain church; HAVE to tithe; HAVE to any of these other things; you are under law; not GRACE.
Condemnation (which the law was) and justification can not possibly exist together. Therefore, law and grace can not possibly exist together. In our day, you choose which one you will live by. Those of you who choose law; any part of the law; even one law puts you under the whole law, you fall from GRACE.
Now, for a great thing: read v18-But we all, with OPEN face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory (that of the law) to glory,(that of grace), even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Now that word-OPEN-here. comes from the Greek # 343-It means to unveil; reversal; open; taken away.
So, this is saying we (people in GRACE)-SEE THE REVERSAL OF THE OLD COVENANT-WE SEE CLEARLY THE GLORY OF THE LORD, AND ARE CHANGED INTO THAT GLORY.
People, Jesus Christ brought GRACE to this whole world! Never before had Grace been offered to anyone except a very few chosen; first Noah, Lot, Moses and a few other in the OT.
The sin of turning back to any part of the Law, since Jesus came and brought Grace, is the unforgivable sin: by this you trample the blood of Jesus, count it an unholy thing; think you must go back to law to live Holy, to be righteous, You do despite to the Spirit of Grace (Heb. 10:29)-v30-this brings on the Vengeance of God.
Finding Grace is the way having God to talk with us. He talked with none of the Israelites who were under the law. He talked with Moses for he was in grace.
Now years later Gideon was visited by the angel of the Lord and he talked with him. He said he would deliver the Israelites by Gideon. Jud. 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found GRACE in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me.
Ruth 22 & 10. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find GRACE. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found GRACE in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
See that this shows Jesus takes knowledge of us as the strangers in the earth by the face that he gave us grace. If you live under even one part of law, you are under it all and will never have Jesus talk to you or take knowledge of you.
Psm. 45:2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: GRACE is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
This is speaking of Jesus, that Grace was poured into his lips. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. God has blessed him for ever.
And finally > Rom. 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under GRACE.
My Lord and My God! Thank you for such a glorious understanding! Thank you for this great message. I love you my Lord, Jesus.
By: Jo Smith