GRACE!!!

Why is Grace so important? It’s because it’s not only the favor of God, but it is the “REST” of God! Jer. 31: 2 says “Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.” “Rest” Grace is the Rest of God, it is a Sabbath! The word ‘Sabbath’ means an intermission, a pause or a break from something, a rest, a celebration. There are nine dispensations that God gave to humanity, innocence, conscience, human government, the promise, the law, the fullness of times, grace, the dominion of Christ, and the worship of God. Grace is the seventh dispensation. The Jews had a seven year cycle. Every third year was the year of tithing. But the seventh year the land had to lie fallow. It was the Sabbatical year. Grace is the Sabbatical year!! The land has to rest from work! Jesus did the work for us! Psalm 92 is a Psalm about the Sabbath Day, and in verse 4 and 5 the psalmist says “For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through work: I will triumph in the works OF THY HANDS. O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep.” The psalmist is saying prophetically on the Sabbath Day God is working for me! How did God do this seeing that in Genesis he rested from his work that he finished?; Gen. 2: 2,3 “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Notice what John 5:16-18 says John 5:16-18 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” In the Old Testament God rested on the Sabbath after he created, but his word keeps working for him! Jesus is the WORD that works for us, what is this word, it is Grace. Grace isn’t just a dispensation, or a rest from working, it’s a person: Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Notice he didn’t say throne of God, but throne of Grace, and you will find help through the Spirit of Grace, the Holy Spirit!

-Anthony D. Booker