The New Testament writers often used the three words ‘grace’, ‘mercy’, ‘peace’ as a form of greeting.

1 Tim 1:2
“To Timothy, a true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Titus 1:4
Paul gives the same greeting to Titus as well.
“To Titus, a true son in our common faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.”

These words must’ve been quite a common form of greeting amongst the early Christians. We know that different cultures have their own conventional way of greeting.

The speaker has a colleague from London. He always asks the speaker, “How is everything?” When the speaker was first asked, he thought hard in his mind whether everything was okay. But actually it was just a greeting. For Chinese, our usual greeting is whether we have eaten/are filled. “吃饱了吗?”

These greetings are usually out of courtesy. But biblical writers didn’t write things just out of courtesy, they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. There’s no word that’s redundant. These words the writers wrote are what the Holy Spirit finds is important for all of us.

Cultural greetings are important too. Why do Chinese ask others if they have had a full meal? Because to the Chinese, food is important. Food is a primary want to human beings after all.

But to the New Testament writers, grace, mercy and peace were the first and primary priority. It is not food but these things that are indispensable to a Christian’s life.

This sermon will take a look at these three indispensable things with respect to our Christian life.

1 Grace

What is grace? The New Testament often uses the word ‘grace’, even more so than the Old Testament. The Bible dictionary defines grace as ‘favour God gives us we do not deserve’.

There’re two aspects: (1) help given to us, (2) that we’re undeserving. It’s unsurprising the New Testament often uses the word grace, because Jesus Himself is the grace of God towards us.

John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

When Jesus came in the flesh, He manifested the glory that is only unique to the only begotten of the Father - the Son. This glory is full of grace and truth. If we take a look at Jesus’ ministry, Jesus truly manifested grace in the flesh. If we take a look at some of the miracles performed in the gospel of John, we’d notice many of the miracles were performed on people who weren’t really deserving of these things. For example, the Samaritan woman by the well. Of course in that case there wasn’t really miracles performed. But Jesus could point out what the woman had done. The question is: did the Samaritan woman deserve Jesus looking for her? She didn’t look for Jesus specially. It was Jesus who looked specially for her. Another example was Lazarus. If we look at the story, did anyone actually believe Jesus could raise him from the dead? Not His disciples. Not Mary. Not Martha. Yet Jesus performs the miracles to raise him from the dead.

These examples show us that the grace God gives us is truly grace. We’re undeserving.

He doesn’t just pour out grace to the believers then, He pours grace out to us today as well.

John 1:16
Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. We have all received the fullness of His grace. John really uses the superlative of the grace we received. Fullness of grace - an overabundance of grace received. Some translations say ‘grace UPON grace’. In other words, God has not held back ANY grace He could have given us.

Let us pause for a second. When we read this verse, do we say “amen”? Do we feel we receive fullness of His grace, grace for grace?

If we don’t feel this is the case for our spiritual lives, we have to ask ourselves: why? The litmus test is whether we feel gratitude. If we receive help from someone, we feel grateful.

The other day the speaker read about Italy. They were asking for medical supplies from the rest of the EU. Initially the rest of the EU wanted to keep what they had because they didn’t know whether they would have enough for themselves. China flew in with masks and respirators. Italy is in lockdown now. In some of their news, they have a lot of balcony concerts. Some sang the Chinese anthem, some the Chinese opera thanking China.

When you’re in need and someone helps you, you’d be thankful. If you’ve received much grace, you’ll be very much thankful. If we’ve received fullness of grace, shouldn’t we be full of gratitude?

If not, why? Is it because Jesus hasn’t given us what we want? Sometimes we know in our mind the grace of God is good, but we feel our lives lack something. “Ah if He gives me what I want then I’ll also say ‘amen’ to what John says to be grace upon grace.”

But what has Jesus given us?

Titus 2:11
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men”
Jesus didn’t come to give us what we want. All of us have our own wants and desires. We know we want a lot of things. But here says the grace of God appeared to give us salvation. With regards to salvation, He has given us ALL that we need. There’s nothing He has held back with regards to salvation!

Eph 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”
He has not blessed us with every physical thing. Of course He has blessed us with physical things; whatever we have currently is richly given by God. But He hasn’t given us every physical thing. Paul says He wants to bless us with every spiritual thing in heaven. There’s not ANY spiritual blessing He has withheld.

Often we want physical blessings more than spiritual blessings. But what we want isn’t necessary good for us. Take a child for example. If we give whatever a child wants to the child, would it be good for him? We know the child doesn’t know everything and it might kill him/her.

There was a sad story on the news:
A grandfather used some liquid to maintain the garden. The child was sitting there, just took the bottle and drank it. By the time they sent him to the A&E, it was too late. We know that medicine must be placed somewhere a child cannot reach, because the child doesn’t know what’s really good for him/her.

If we think about it, do WE know what’s really good for us? We’re like a child in many aspects. If God doesn’t give us what we want, it’s because it’s good for us.

If we turn back the clock to when we first believe in Jesus or received the Holy Spirit, it would’ve been like the Ephesus church in Revelation where first love is mentioned.

Philosopher Martin Heidegger said this about first love. First love is when things around us are changed for the first time. Everything becomes beautiful and colourful.

This was also the case when we first experienced Jesus and first received the Holy Spirit. Everything around us changed. Our mindset changed. We feel like: “Oh salvation is all we need! Why do we need anything else? I’ve received the fullness of His grace, grace for grace!”

But with all good things, as time passes, we change. Because Jesus has never changed. Jesus has always given us this fullness of grace, grace upon grade. The question is: have we changed our mindset?

We need grace. But we need to APPRECIATE grace even more.

2 Mercy

Grace and mercy are two sides of the same coin. If grace is given to us undeserving, then mercy is withholding punishment that we deserve. By right, you should be punished but you weren’t.

To fully appreciate grace, you must understand mercy as well. Because mercy is related to punishment, and punishment is related to the fact there’s a standard. You’re punished because you fall short of a standard.

John 1:17
This verse compares Moses and Jesus. The law is given through Moses. Grace and truth through Jesus. John also tells us here the proper sequence of things. The law had to come first. Why? Because without the law, we don’t even know what the standard is. The law denotes God’s golden standard. Without the law, we wouldn’t appreciate God’s grace and truth. Only with the law is there wrath; would there be punishment. Without law, there would be no transgression.

For example in Singapore, we are taught not to litter from young. It is in the law and you’d be fined if you litter. In Sabah when you visit the plantations, the speaker’s father would take the banana skin and fling it out. Durian seeds would be thrown out the window. “What littering? Fertiliser.”

If there’s no law, there’s nothing wrong. This is the function of the law. Because if there’s law, there’s a standard for you to live out to. This is also why it’s hard for us to preach the gospel today, because the modern world has no understanding/consciousness about sin.

A classmate asked the speaker what’s right and wrong and said it was purely a social construct. “WE decide!” The concept of sin and needing to be saved from its effects is not evident to them. “What are you going to save me from? Why do I need God’s mercy?”

The speaker once spoke to a stranger and told him that Jesus forgives sins. His reply was, “What sin have I committed?” To many people, if you’re not a murderer or an arsonist, you’re not a sinner. But that’s not how we understand what a sinner is. Everyone who falls short of God’s standard is a sinner; falling short of God’s standard is a sin.

That’s why God’s mercy is so important to every one of us. Because ALL of us commit sin. Without His mercy, any sin we commit is mortal - it leads to death. The wages of death is sin. Lying is said to be a ‘small sin’. But if Jesus’ blood doesn’t wash us of all this, we all perish.

That’s why Jesus’ saying is so real. Only the sick need a doctor (Mark 2:17). Most people don’t think they’re sick today. They don’t realise there is a consequence to pay later on.

But we know of God’s mercy and God is indeed merciful to all of us. He has forgiven us of all our sins during baptism. And not just during baptism. He still gives us mercy every single day of our lives today.

Lam 3:22-23
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”
These verses tell us why we are not consumed. It’s not because we are good. No one is good! If God really punished us according to our sins, no matter how good we think we are, none of us can stand before God. It is because of His mercy that we aren’t destroyed. We need His mercies. They are new every morning.

Even when He punishes us, the punishment is always less than we deserve.

Ezra 9:13
“And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this”

Sometimes we feel we are punished more than we deserve. The reality is that actually it’s LESS than what we deserve. God is really like a merciful father.

When the speaker was very young there was once he visited his cousin who was a few years younger than him. He was about 10, his cousin 4/5. The cousin did something wrong. His cousin’s father said come into the room and took the cane. The speaker was very afraid and his heart was beating very fast da dum da dum da dum. In the room his cousin was running around and shouting, “Pa! Forgive me ah!” Because the floor was wood, each step taken could be heard da dum da dum da dum - same tempo as the frantic beating of the speaker’s heart.

“Don’t run ah! I’m gonna cane you ah!”

5min passed and the scene was still the same. The speaker started to think to himself: “Just cane better what. Run so long for what? Aiya come on la, even if cane will be soft one.”

In the end, his cousin was caned but it wasn’t so bad.

That is a father. He’s merciful. He canes you but doesn’t cane you as much as you deserve.

Sometimes God has to discipline us. There’s no choice. The Bible says there’s no father who doesn’t discipline his child (Heb 12:7). If God really punished us according to our sins, none of us can stand. Which of us will still be around?

Indeed we have receive His abundant grace and mercy.

How does God want us to respond to this? He wants us to show grace and mercy to others as well.

Matt 18:21-25
These verses record the parable of the ungrateful servant (read). The first servant owed the Master 10,000 talents. Some speculate this is 200,000 years of wages. The second servant owed the first servant 100 denarii which is about 4 months of wages. What did the first servant do? What the second servant owed him was just a fraction of what he owed the master. The second servant had the same plea as the first servant, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” But he gave a totally different reaction from his master who forgave him of his debt. He threw the second servant into prison. Why did the first servant react in this manner?

Jesus of course tells us to reflect on ourselves. We are like the first servant. This is because we don’t do the right comparison. Sometimes we think: “Not just me what! He also owes the master 10,000 talents!” All of us had our 10,000 talents forgiven. Somehow in our mind we think this even things out.
The right comparison should be how much 100 denarii is compared to what we owe the master.

Sometimes there’s a lot of bitterness and complain. “Wah this person did this thing. He’s such a lazy person!” It’s true you might be a better person than him. But in this instance all of us should compare to the golden standard again. All of us are negative 10,000 talents. You’re better by 100 denarii. What’s the big deal?

If we don’t show mercy to others, according for to the Bible, ultimately we won’t be shown mercy. Often we want God’s mercy but don’t want to show mercy to others.

Should we also not know to show mercy to others? Think of all the mercy God has given us. What has the other person done compared to what we owe God? Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy (Matt 5:7).

3 Peace

The peace we talk about is different from the peace in the world.

John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The world talks about peace to be when one doesn’t have troubles and problems; when life is a bed of roses. Jesus talks about peace to be when one is facing troubles and problems; when life is NOT a bed of roses. Especially in these tumultuous times. We need peace. We ESPECIALLY need peace. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. But what does peace mean in these times? Something for us to think about. Does it mean surely you don’t get COVID? The speaker truly believes it’s the grace of God none of us (in Singapore TJC) have been infected yet. But is it true none of us will ever get it? Or does peace mean even if we get it, it’ll be nothing? We’d be asymptotic?

The speaker read about NBA players who were reported. It was very scary because they felt nothing and the next day could still play in the finals. A group of people (60-80%) just get a sore throat. Nothing serious. But does it mean that surely we will recover if we get inflected?

What does the peace not as the world gives us means? The speaker and another brother had a discussion with a Christian (who doesn’t attend church but believes in Jesus). They spoke about our beliefs but after a while realised he wasn’t very interested. After probing, he said what they said was good and finally he opened up. He asked them, “Do you believe God will definitely heal you of sickness if you have faith?” This was his core belief. Finally they realised this was what he believed in. (We don’t believe in this of course.) He quoted Matt 8:17 “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” The speaker had not thought through this verse properly yet and so did not discuss it. So the way he took was to show counter examples.

Elisha died of a sickness.
The person replied, “Old Testament.”

Thorn in Paul’s flesh.
He replied, “It’s not explicitly stated it’s a sickness. You can die but it’s not a sickness. Can have tribulation and beaten up but not sickness.”

Timothy and his frequent ailments. Paul didn’t ask him to pray with faith and he would surely be healed! Rather, Paul asked him to drink some wine. Timothy was clearly a man of faith, so it’s not necessarily true you won’t get sick if you have faith.

The speaker then followed up with 2 Cor 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”
Our outward man is perishing but our inward man is being renewed day by day. This doesn’t make any sense if we’re healed of all sickness. High blood pressure? Pray, healed. Gout? Pray, healed. How can our outward man be perishing if it’s being renewed day by day? Everything is perishing!

Final answer the person gave, “I can’t answer your objections now. But this doesn’t mean I can’t explain in the future.” He was fixated on this verse and this belief.

What is our understanding of Matt 8:17 then? A dual fulfilment. One aspect of it is already fulfilled. At that point in time when Jesus healed them, He already took their infirmities. Today, Jesus also heals us and takes our infirmities. When is it ULTIMATELY fulfilled? Right now are we healed of all our sicknesses? Of course not! Sickness are a consequence of sin; it is part of the dying process. Death is the consequence of sin. When Jesus died for us, He removed the consequence of sin. This is fulfilled when He comes again. It won’t be in this life, but it’s guaranteed in this life.

We can have peace because we know this life is temporary. In the life that we will inherit in the future, there’s absolutely no more sickness, no more pain, no more tears. We believe this is ultimately fulfilled in the life to come; when the Kingdom of God comes.

We we read a passage we can misinterpret a lot of things.

Luke 21:18
“But not a hair of your head shall be lost.”
If we don’t read the front part of this chapter, we’ll think no harm will come to us. But v16 says “they will put some of you to death”! So what does “not a hair of your head will be lost” mean? Obviously Jesus doesn’t mean no harm will come to you. They chop off your head but your hair is still there? You’re gonna die, why bother about your hair?

Jesus is saying we must interpret it in the grand scheme of things. Look at the eternity. What have you really lost? In the grand scheme of things you didn’t even lose a single hair. If you’re gonna die, even your hair you won’t lose because He’s going to pay your back infinitely more in the life to come!

If I take away all the money in your bank and put in 100x the amount, what have you lost? You wouldn’t go around moaning, “Ah I’ve lost my money…”

The problem with us is that we don’t see the grand scheme of things; the eternity in the life to come. Lose things in this life? We’ll get back in the life to come. We can lose everything now, we’ll get it back hundredfold.

Another passage often quoted today is Psa 91.
Psa 91:6
“Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.”

Especially in this time, this passage is quoted. “There’s a pestilence but it won’t come near me because I trust in God.” We need to read this passage as a whole. Is this a blanket protection to all believers? As long as you trust in God nothing will happen to you?

v10 “No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling”
This verse is more general. It says no evil will come to you as long as you trust in God. <So have no fear. Go out play and enjoy!> [sarcastic]

Job is the best example. Do we trust in God as much as he did? Nothing bad will come? He lost everything! Servants, flocks, children, health. We don’t know what kind of sickness the devil struck him with but it’s definitely much worse than COVID-19. Why did this happen to Job and not to us?

Again we must understand this in the grand scheme of things.
v15 “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honour him.”
When does He deliver us? What does it mean when v10 says no evil shall come on us? Again seen in the grand scheme of things: even if we suffer in this life, actually no evil will come upon you.

2 Tim 4:18
“And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.”
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work. Is it from this life? We know from church history Timothy was martyred and died! What he means here is REAL evil. God would preserve him for His heavenly kingdom.

Real evil doesn’t actually refer to this life. Of course in this life, Psa 91 tells us we can trust in God. We can ask for protection. The Bible says He will be with us. What’s comforting is that whatever happens to us happens because God approves it. Even for Job: what happened to him had to be with approval from God. Of course God can deliver us if it’s according to His will.

But if it’s not His will to deliver us in this life, we have peace because Paul tells us He will preserve us to His Heavenly Kingdom. That’s God’s promise to us in this life. This is the peace the world cannot give us.

In conclusion:
2 John 3
“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”

Grace, mercy and peace is indispensable to the Christian life. We need grace, mercy and peace especially in these trying times. Indeed God will give us grace, mercy and peace, and will be with us from God the Father and Jesus Christ, in truth and love.