Today’s presentation is the second topic in the current series and is titled ‘Rain’.
In the bible, the phenomenon of rain is often used to symbolize the goodness of God.
One such usage is found in the passage from Matthew 5:25.
For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous.
This passage is part of what is probably what is Jesus’ most famous disclosure, called the ‘Sermon on the
Mount’. It was here that Jesus spoke of ‘loving your enemies’ and ‘turning the other cheek’. Towards the
end of the sermon Jesus tells us to do what He has taught “so that you may be the sons and daughters
of your Father who is in heaven”. For God is good and it’s in God’s character / his nature to cause the
sun to rise on the evil and the good and rain on the righteous and unrighteous.
When we talk of God’s character, what are some things that come to mind? Love, Justice, Mercy,
Graciousness…
The character that I would like to draw our attention to for a few moments this morning is Graciousness.
What do you understand by grace? Have any of you experienced grace? What did it feel like? The
dictionary defines it as ‘to show favour’.
Jesus while on earth used stories to teach those who were following Him. There was one such story
which He told that best illustrates the Grace of God. I’d to call this story the ‘The Story of Grace’.
In the bible this story is found in a book called Luke and chapter 15.
Narrate the story of the Prodigal Son.
Many of you may have already heard this story and know it by its more common title ‘The Prodigal Son’.
I’ve titled it ‘The Story of Grace’ because to me what is central to the story is the father.
When we take the culture of the times into account, the younger son’s actions become even more
scandalous. Scholars say that through his actions he told his father, ‘you are dead to me. I want nothing
more to do with you. Give me what I would receive when you are dead and I’ll be on my way.’
No father would have tolerated this. Either the son would have been disowned or even if he did get the
inheritance he would never be able to come back to the house.
The younger son while he was preparing his speech of confession knew that he had no right to go back
and that in all likely-hood he would be rejected. But his father did not reject him. The father came
running to receive his lost son with open arms and immediately took him back, not as a servant but as a
son. The younger son had found favour with the father. Unmerited and abundant. This is the grace of
God.
My first point for the morning - Grace of God is abundant and is unmerited. There is nothing that can
be done to earn it.
Paul a teacher of the early church wrote in his letter to one of the churches.
Rom5: 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would
dare even to die.
Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us.
Paul was taking about Grace. And he of all people knew what he was taking about because he had
experienced grace first hand.
Narrate Paul’s ‘Grace Encounter’ with Jesus.
It was because of this ‘Grace Encounter’ Paul wrote that while we helpless and still enemies of God Jesus
stepped in and we received God’s unmerited favour.
In another passage Paul writes ‘Everything that we do that seems right, trying to be in right standing
with God is like filthy rags in comparison to God’s righteousness’.
God’s grace is not because of who we are or what we can do to please God. God’s grace is because of
who God is. It is His nature.
The younger son started on his journey back to the father hoping that he’d find mercy but instead he got
grace.
Someone said it like this “Mercy and grace are like two sides of a coin. Mercy is not getting what you
deserve and grace is getting what you don’t deserve”.
But it wasn’t too surprising that he didn’t expect grace. Because that’s what his culture taught him and
that’s what he had experienced with his so called ‘friends’. Ungraciousness!
Very much like in our times. This is what we are taught. People get what they deserve. So get into the
rat race try to come up on top. And we do this day in and day out. Not minding who we trample on in
the process. Be it others or even our selves. It is this attitude of un-grace that brings about war,
genocide, discrimination, even the utter disregard of traffic rules. But the truth is, we are all looking for
grace as defined by God. Finding favour unmerited. The reason why we have a lot of pain and
forgettable memories is because we look in the wrong places. Maybe some of us here this morning, may
have come looking for this grace. Acceptance, without having to go through the process of meeting
expectations, self imposed or otherwise.
But to receive this grace the younger son had to start somewhere. He had to begin his journey back
home.
When he got home his father’s grace overwhelmed him. He was received like a son, a party was thrown
for him and his father placed a ring on his finger as a sign of acceptance. Like rain which washes away all
the grime. Grace washed away his unworthiness. Like rain that brings life to a parched land, grace
revived his spirit. Like rain that re-colour the landscape and makes everything new, grace brought about
a new meaning in his relationship with his father.
This is my second point for this morning - Grace of God ought to be received for it to affect our lives.
The older son unlike his brother did not experience grace. He was on the outside looking in,
complaining. He did not want to go in. He spoke of what he did and what he thought he deserved. He
did not understand grace or his father.
For a very long time this was my attitude towards God. Even though I grew up in a family and
environment where there was a lot of teaching about God all I heard was rules and do and don’t. And
the more I tried in my helpless to obey them the more I failed. I felt I didn’t get the acceptance, I didn’t
meet the mark. Until I found God’s grace! And like the younger son I was drenched by it.
In conclusion,
Iterate the 2 points
God is good and it’s in God’s character / his nature to cause the sun to rise on the evil and the good and
rain on the righteous and unrighteous. The question is will you let this rain drench you.
PPT: Rain - 2nd presentation in current series.
 Rain in Chennai, very welcome. Cools down the place. Washes away the dirt.
 The metaphor of rain. Used in the bible to symbolise God’s abundance and goodness.
PPT: Matthew 5:25
 From sermon on the mount
 God’s goodness / His character - love, mercy, just, grace
 Jesus told stories to teach about God
PPT: The Story of Grace
 Narrate the story
 You know this story as the prodigal son. The actions of the father stand out.
 What the son did was not just ask for money. He insulted his father.
 The son expected to be thrown out by his father
 He found grace. Unmerited and abundant
PPT: Grace of God is abundant and is unmerited. There is nothing that can be done to earn it.
PPT: Romans 5:6-8
 Paul was talking about Grace
 He understood grace from his experience
 Narrate Paul’s Grace Encounter
 Paul tries to drive home the message of grace in many of his letters
 All our works of righteousness. Trying to get in the right standing with God is like filthy rags in
comparison to God’s righteousness.
 The younger son knew his actions did deserve grace
 He went home trembling. Hoping for mercy. He got grace.
 Mercy and grace are like 2 sides of the same coin.
 The younger only knew un-grace.
 The world teaches un-grace. From the time we are born we are in a rat race to get to the top.
 But we are looking for grace. Mostly in the wrong places.
 It brings pain.
 The younger son grace with his father
 It drenched him like rain.
PPT: Grace of God is to be received for it to impact us. We need to let it drench us.
 The older son did not understand his father or grace.
 He choice to outside complaining.
 Grace is about whom his father is and not about what his brother did or even for that matter
what he did.
 Share testimony. It changed me I still find it hard to be gracious.
PPT: Conclusion - Matthew 5:25
 Two points
 Question is will you let grace drench you?