Covered by Grace

There is something about the word grace that sounds gentle.

And it is.

But grace was not cheap.

Grace cost Jesus everything.

Sometimes we talk about grace as though it means God simply looked at our sin and said, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

But the cross tells us something very different.

God did not pretend our sin didn’t matter.

Jesus covered it.

And there is a huge difference.

Scripture says:

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”
— Romans 4:7

Covered.

Not because we hid them well enough.

Not because we cleaned ourselves up.

Not because we finally became good enough to deserve a seat at His table.

Our sins are covered because the blood of Jesus was enough.

Grace Doesn’t Pretend the Stain Isn’t There

I think sometimes we misunderstand what it means for grace to cover us.

Grace doesn’t say there was never a stain.

Grace says Jesus took responsibility for a debt He never owed.

Isaiah said:

“The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
— Isaiah 53:6

Every sin.

Every failure.

Every ugly thought.

Every selfish choice.

Every secret thing nobody else knows.

Every time we knew better and did it anyway.

The sins behind us.

The struggles we’re still fighting today.

Jesus knew all of it when He went to the cross.

And He went anyway.

That is grace.

The Bread Reminds Us What Grace Cost

When Jesus took the bread, broke it, and said,

“This is my body, which is given for you.”
— Luke 22:19

He was showing us that grace would have a cost.

His body.

The body that never sinned was broken for people who did.

He took what belonged to us so that He could give us what belonged to Him.

Our guilt for His righteousness.

Our condemnation for His acceptance.

Our death for His life.

That is why we don’t come to communion pretending we’ve had a perfect week.

We come knowing we haven’t.

We don’t come saying,

“Jesus, look how good I’ve been.”

We come saying,

“Jesus, look how good You are.”

And Then There Is the Cup

Jesus said:

“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
— Luke 22:20

The cup reminds us that our forgiveness wasn’t purchased with good intentions.

It was purchased with blood.

First John 1:7 says:

“The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

All.

That’s one of the most beautiful words in that verse.

Not most.

Not the respectable sins.

Not everything except that one thing you still hate remembering.

All sin.

There may be things in your life that consequences still follow.

There may be scars.

There may be things you would give anything to undo.

But if you belong to Christ, there is no sin hiding somewhere outside the reach of His blood.

The blood reaches there too.

Grace Covers, But Grace Also Changes Us

And this is important.

Being covered by grace doesn’t mean we become comfortable with sin.

Paul asked:

“Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!”
— Romans 6:1–2

Grace isn’t permission to stay in the mud.

Grace is the hand of Jesus reaching into the mud, pulling us out, washing us clean, and teaching us how to walk differently.

Grace forgives us when we fall.

Grace strengthens us to get back up.

Grace teaches us to say no to the things that once owned us.

Grace doesn’t only cover our past.

Grace changes our future.

So Before We Take Communion…

Maybe you’re carrying something this morning.

Maybe there is something you’ve confessed a hundred times, but you’re still punishing yourself for it.

Maybe you’ve wondered whether you’ve used up too much grace.

Maybe you know you’ve taken His grace for granted.

Maybe you’ve been running.

Or maybe you’ve simply forgotten how astonishing it is that you get to sit at this table at all.

Look again at the bread.

Look again at the cup.

You didn’t earn this seat.

Neither did I.

We were invited by grace.

And the same Jesus who knew exactly how badly we would need grace said,

“Do this in remembrance of Me.”

So we remember.

We remember that His body was broken.

We remember that His blood was poured out.

We remember that the debt has been paid.

We remember that grace is greater than our sin.

And we remember the promise:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
— Romans 8:1

Not less condemnation.

No condemnation.

So as we take the bread, remember the body that bore what you could never carry.

And as we take the cup, remember the blood that covers what you could never erase.

Come humbly.

Come gratefully.

Come honestly.

But don’t come trying to pay Jesus back.

The price has already been paid.

Take the bread.

Take the cup.

And remember:

You are standing in grace.
You are forgiven through Christ.
You are covered by His blood.
And Jesus is enough.