Grace is greater (1) Prologue & Introduction

Grace Is Greater  by Kyle Idleman (1)

 

Prologue

 

 Five years ago I was traveling around the country speaking at different churches and conferences on the subject of following Jesus. I had written a book called Not a Fan that challenged those who called themselves Christians to not be fans of Jesus but followers of Jesus. Our tendency is to try to follow Jesus without having to deny ourselves. We want to accept the invitation of Jesus but we are obsessed with being comfortable, which means we try to follow Jesus without carrying a cross.

 

 In other words, we want to follow Jesus close enough to get the benefits but not so close that it requires anything from us. When Jesus offered his invitation, he made people uncomfortable. So uncomfortable, in fact, that it wasn’t unusual for large crowds to turn around and go home.

 

 One night I was in Birmingham, Alabama, preaching at a men’s conference at the University of Alabama. I tend to get especially hard-core when I’m talking to a room filled with thousands of men. After I finished my talk, I walked offstage feeling pretty good about beating up thousands of men at the same time. I stayed for a while afterward and greeted some of the men and signed some books. One of them handed me a piece of paper with a Scripture reference scribbled on it. (Heb. 12:15). I thanked him and jammed the piece of paper into my pocket and forgot about it.

 

 As I was heading home that night I stopped at a drive-through for a late-night snack. When I checked my pocket for change I pulled out that piece of paper. While I was waiting on my food I pulled Heb.12:15 up on my phone. I was familiar with the verse, but when I read it this time it was different. Have you ever encountered a verse of Scripture where it feels less like your reading it and more like God is reading it to you? It was like that.

 

 Since that night at the drive-through God has taken me on a journey toward writing this book. I still like to challenge people with what it means to follow Jesus completely, but in the back of my mind I’m constantly hearing the Holy Spirit whisper to me, See to it that no one misses the grace of God.

 

 The word translated “misses” could also be translated “fails to receive” or “fails to obtain” or “fails to experience.” My prayer for you as you read this book is that you would receive, obtain, and experience the grace of God in your life.

 

Introduction

 

 Grace is not a new word to us. It’s familiar – and that can be a problem. When you’re using a word that has been around a long time and has been talked about frequently, people tend to yawn. The word grace is so common it doesn’t feel very amazing.

 

 I know that many of you have heard countless sermons about grace. You may have even read a number of books about grace. But my prayer is that you would see this word again for the first time.

Root of Bitterness

 

 Heb. 12:15 says, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God” (NIV 1984). This command is followed by a warning of what happens when someone does miss it:

 

 And that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile

many. (v.15 NIV 1984)

 

 When we miss grace, a bitter root begins to grow. In Hebrew culture any poisonous plant would be called a “bitter” plant. Religion without grace is poisonous. A relationship without grace is poisonous. A church without grace is poisonous. A heart without grace is poisonous. The bitter root may be small and slow in its growth, but eventually the poison takes effect.

 

 When we miss grace, the poison of bitterness and anger will eventually become too much to keep buried. The poison of guilt and shame will eventually destroy a soul.

 

Experiencing Grace

 

 Numerous theological books teach the doctrine of grace, and some of them have helped me enormously. To be clear, though, this is not one of those. I am much more interested in helping you experience grace. I tend to think grace is best and most fully understood not by of explanation alone but through experience.

 

T hink of it like romantic love. To understand romantic love, you can open a scientific textbook and have romantic love explained in terms of neural and chemical reactions. And that might be helpful, but there’s really only one way to understand romantic love. It must be experienced.

 

 The Bible is full of narratives that teach us about grace. When Jesus wanted to help people understand the grace of God, he didn’t give a lengthy and detailed explanation. Instead he told the story of the prodigal son.

 

 Compare what we learn about grace from Paul with what we learn about grace from Jesus. Paul uses the word grace more than a hundred times in his letters as he helps the church understand grace. Jesus, on the other hand, never used the word grace. Instead he showed us what it looked like. Paul’s explanations were motivated by his own experience of grace and his desire for others to experience it.

 

 E.B. White’s famous quip: Grace can be dissected like a frog, but the thing dies in the process.

 

 I’ve read numerous books about grace. But do you know what has taught me the most about grace? My own story and the stories of others who have experienced grace.

 

 God’s grace is compelling when explained but irresistible when experienced.

 

 It’s my prayer that you won’t miss grace but rather will powerfully experience the grace effect in your life – and no matter what you have done, no matter what has been done to you, you will personally experience the truth that grace is greater.

 

Grace is powerful enough to erase your guilt.

Grace is big enough to cover your shame.

Grace is real enough to heal your relationships.

Grace is strong enough to hold you up when you’re weak.

Grace is sweet enough to cure your bitterness.

Grace is satisfying enough to deal with your disappointment.

Grace is beautiful enough to redeem your brokenness.

Grace explained is necessary, but grace experienced is essential.