The God Who Is Gracious

Every one of us in this room has had a moment… a moment when someone showed us kindness we did not earn.

Maybe you made a huge mistake at work, and instead of firing you, the boss covered for you. Maybe you hurt someone deeply, and instead of shutting the door, they forgave you. Maybe you received a gift you absolutely could not repay—a scholarship, a meal, a chance, an open door, a second start you didn’t deserve. Have you ever had someone treat you… not according to what you deserved, but according to the goodness in their heart?

That is grace.

But God’s grace is something infinitely more. Because God’s grace doesn’t come from a human heart that might change its mind, second-guess itself, or run out of compassion. God’s grace flows from His very nature. It is who He is; It is how He moves; It is how He relates to humanity.

[AND JUST LIKE LAST WEEK…] we return to the verse where God reveals His own character in the most repeated self-description in the entire Bible.

FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURE

Exodus 34:6–7 (NIV) The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not

leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.

I. THE HEBREW WORD FOR GRACE — KHANUN

When God revealed Himself to Moses, He said He is “gracious.” The Hebrew word is KHANUN (HA-noon) ḥannûn (חַנּוּן).

It comes from the root KHEN (HEN) ḥên (חֵן), a rich and beautiful word that means: Grace; favor; delight; a gift freely given out of pleasure, not obligation. Before “grace” was a theological concept, ḥên was a word used in everyday life. It described beauty that captures the heart, favor that surprises you, and gifts that delight the giver as much as the receiver.

II. WHAT ḤÊN LOOKS LIKE IN SCRIPTURE

A. ḤÊN as Beauty and Delight

In the Psalms, a gifted poet is described as having “lips of ḥên”—words that are so skillfully crafted they bring delight.

--> A beautiful necklace or piece of jewelry is called an “ornament of ḥên” because it draws the eye, stirs joy, and invites delight. So before ḥên was about forgiveness… It was about favor flowing from delight.

B. ḤÊN as a Favorable Gift

Ḥên often describes a generous gift given because someone delights in another person.

-->In the book of Esther, when Esther approaches King Xerxes at the risk of her life, she calls her request a “plea for ḥên.” And the king grants it—not because she deserved it, but because he favored her. He delighted in

her. He showed her grace.

C. The Most Extreme ḤÊN — When Someone Deserves the Opposite The deepest form of ḥên is when grace is shown to someone who deserves judgment or distance.

--> This is what happens with Jacob and Esau. Jacob deceived Esau. He stole his blessing and ran away for twenty years. When he finally returns, Jacob prays, “May I find ḥên—favor, grace—in your eyes.” Jacob isn’t asking for fairness. He’s asking for a gift he absolutely does not deserve. And shockingly— Esau gives it. He runs to Jacob. He embraces Jacob. He delights in Jacob. He gives him ḥên.

III. GOD SHOWS MORE ḤÊN THAN ANYONE

If humans can occasionally show grace like this… God shows it continually. The story of the golden calf in Exodus makes this clear. God rescues Israel from slavery, loves them, provides for them, and enters

covenant with them. And within weeks—weeks!—they turn and worship a golden idol. God had every right to walk away. Every right to judge. Every right to start over… But Moses intercedes and asks God for something radical: “Lord, give Your people ḥên; Give us a gift we do not deserve; Give us a promise we have

not earned; Give us Yourself… And God says YES. He forgives them; He renews the covenant; He promises His

presence will go with them. That is ḥannûn. That is gracious.

IV. GOD’S GRACE IS CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE

This trait—God’s grace—is so reliable that in the Psalms alone, people cry out

for God’s ḥên over 40 times: when sick; when oppressed; when guilty; when exiled; when facing enemies; when crushed under their own failures… And every time, God responds out of His character— with grace. The prophets understood this too. Isaiah, speaking to a rebellious nation standing under judgment, looks back to God’s past acts of ḥên and confidently declares: “Because God has shown ḥên before, God will show ḥên again.”

{BIG KEY} Grace IS NOT God’s reaction. GRACE IS GOD’S NATURE.

V. THE NEW TESTAMENT WORD FOR GRACE — KHARIS

By the time we reach the New Testament, the Greek writers pick up the Hebrew

idea of ḥên and expand it with the word charis (χάρις), meaning: gracious gift; unearned favor; generosity freely given.

A. JESUS IS THE KHARIS OF GOD in Human Form

John tells us that Jesus came “full of charis and truth.” Jesus is God’s grace embodied. Grace with skin on. Grace walking among us.

B. Paul Explains the Power of Grace

In Ephesians 2, Paul says humanity is spiritually dead— cut off from God through our sin. We deserve judgment.

But Paul says: “But God, who is rich in mercy… …made us alive by His Kharis.” Grace does not merely forgive you— GRACE RESURRECTS YOU. Grace RESTORES YOU. Grace RECREATES YOU. Grace REVERSES YOUR STORY.

C. Grace Is MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH

Paul says the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are gifts— gifts that overpower death itself. Gifts that must simply be received. Grace doesn’t make bad people good. Grace MAKES DEAD PEOPLE ALIVE.

VI. WHAT MAKES GOD’S GRACE AMAZING?

[LET’S SUMMARIZE WHAT THE BIBLE IS SHOWING US…]

1. GRACE IS GOD’S DELIGHT, Not His Obligation

He doesn’t give grace because He has to. He gives grace because it delights Him. It is His pleasure.

2. Grace GOES TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T DESERVE IT

Grace doesn’t wait until you’ve fixed your life. Grace meets you where you are.

3. Grace RESTORES WHAT SIN DESTROYED

Jacob and Esau / Israel and God / Humanity and God / Us and Our failures. Grace rebuilds what sin tore down.

4. Grace IS A GIFT YOU RECEIVE, NOT ACHIEVE

You cannot earn Kharis; You cannot perform for ḥên… You can only receive it.

5. Grace IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS GRACIOUS

You and I will never wake up on a day when God says, “I’m out of grace.”

VII. HOW WE EXPERIENCE GOD’S GRACE?

Grace is not automatic. It must be received with two simple actions:

A. We OWN OUR FAILURES

Grace is not permission to hide… It’s permission to come home. Grace begins where pretending ends.

B. We ASK FOR GRACE

Throughout Scripture, when people cry out for ḥên… God responds with Himself.

He gives His mercy.

He gives His presence.

He gives His covenant promises.

He gives His Spirit.

He gives His Son.

Grace is GOD'S GIFT OF GOD.

VIII. APPLICATION — WHAT GOD’S GRACE MEANS FOR US?

1. GRACE MEANS WE CAN STOP TRYING TO EARN GOD’S APPROVAL. He has already delighted in you.

2. GRACE MEANS OUR PAST DOES NOT DISQUALIFY US FROM OUR FUTURE. Jacob’s story proves that. Israel’s story proves that. Your story, which is completely written from His view, but is still playing out in your view… proves that our past does not disqualify us from our future!

3. GRACE MEANS GOD’S GRACE IS STRONGER THAN YOUR WORST MOMENT. Grace doesn’t ignore sin. But grace overrules the justified impact of sin.

4. GRACE EMPOWERS YOU TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY. Grace isn’t just pardon… It’s power.

GOD GIVES THE GIFT OF HIMSELF

[So where do we end today?...] With this truth: When we own our failures

and ask God for grace, His response is consistent and generous.

 Because God does not merely give grace— GOD IS GRACIOUS.

He gives:

 Himself; His life; His presence; His love; His Spirit; His Son; And a future

we could never earn.

This is THE GOD WHO IS GRACIOUS.