God's Amazing Grace
In every letter that Paul writes
excluding the book of Hebrews he always says something similar to Grace and
peace be with you in both the beginning and the end of his letters. Grace is a
word that Paul used often. But what exactly does Grace mean?
I personally think that the Bible
defines what grace is starting in
Ephesians
2:4- But God, who is rich in
mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show
the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it
is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should
boast. 10For we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
It is from these passages that we
learn that Grace in unmerited favor. This is what is so amazing about Gods free
gift of Grace. Even though you and I were hopelessly lost in sin God loved us
enough to give us his son as perfect sacrifice so that we could be saved. There
is nothing absolutely nothing you or I could ever do to earn or merit Gods
saving Grace that is why he had to give it to us.
Romans 3:10 10 As it is written: "There is none
righteous, no, not one;
Romans 3:23 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Mankind desperately needs the
grace of God in order to be saved because we cannot save our selves. Under the
old law you had to keep it perfect in order to be blameless.
James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the
whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
No human could do this except for
one. Jesus Christ and it only through him that the grace of God is possible. A
lot of people simply do not understand what the grace of God and what it
involves. Many in the religious world will take section of scripture we looked
at in Eph 2 and will say that we are saved by grace alone. But folks this
simply is not the case. Now a person can say that they are saved by grace they
can also say that that they are saved by faith both of these statements are
true. However you cannot say that you are saved by faith or by grace alone
because the Word God does not teach that at all.
. 8 For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it
is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should
boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk
in them.
In these verse we learn that 2
parts to man salvation. First of all there is Gods grace which his part in
which he gave his son and forgiveness of sin. Man has his part which is his
faith. This is not talking about just believing but instead is talking about an
obedient faith. In others words God has provided the gift but humans have to
accept that gift by having a obedient faith. Notice verse 10 says that we
created for good works and that we should walk in them.
Let me give you an example lets
say that I have a key to my car, and tell you that is a free gift but that you
have to walk up here to get it. Even though the gift is free and you did not
earn or deserve it you still have you part because you have to get up and walk
up here to receive the car.
This is same principle that God
has always had. We have several examples of where God offers a free gift but
then demands an obedient faith.
Jericho was a free gift to the
children of Israel but in order to receive the gift that had to obey Gods word
to walk around those 7 days and then make the loud noise with the shouting and
the trumpets and it wasn’t until they obeyed Gods word that the received the
free gift.
Naamen had leprosy and Elisha sent
word to him that he could be healed if would go dip in the
The same thing is true today we do
not receive Gods free gift
of grace until we obey his commands. The apostles under this concept well.
Romans 1:5 Through Him we have
received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for
His name,
Now lets take a look at what Paul
says about grace in
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men,
If we are saved by grace alone and
since grace has appeared to everyone than that would mean that every single person no matter what the do
would be saved but we know that not true. In fact Paul goes on tell us Grace
teaches us.
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the
present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might
redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for
good works.
Paul is clearly teaching us that
Gods grace and our obedient faith goes hand and hand. I want make this very
clear that when we obey Gods word and do things he ask us to day we are in no
way earning or meriting our salvation we are simply serving God out of love.
Jesus explains this best in the story he tells his disciples in.
Luke 17:7 "And which of you, having a
servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the
field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? 8 "But will he not rather say to
him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I
have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? 9 "Does he thank that servant
because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 "So likewise you, when you have
done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable
servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "
Whenever we become Christians and
we accept Gods grace we become his servants and we are merely to do your duty
and when we obey Gods word we don’t say what are you going to do for me now no
we say that we are unprofitable servants we have done what was or duty to do.
One can fall from Grace.
Gal 2:21 indicates
that we can frustrate or nullify the grace of God.
2
Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in
vain.
Jude 1:4 4 For certain men have crept in
unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who
turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Galatians
5:4 4 You have become estranged from Christ,
you who attempt to be justified by law; you have
fallen from grace.
As you can see from the passages
we must not take the grace of God for granted. That is why Peter tells us 2 Peter 3:18 but
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we grow in grow in God grace we
learn that we can stand (Rom 5:1-2 and
be strong in Gods grace 2 Tim 2:1.
Paul also teaches that Grace is
not a license to sin.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we
continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died
to sin live any longer in it?
One of the great things about Gods
amazing grace is that when we do sin his grace can cover are sins over and over
again and the John tells us how.
1 John 1:7 7 But if we walk in the light as He is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Notice the action word walk. A
Christian must be walking in the light that is striving to serve God in order
to continually have your sins cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. When does
a person began to walk in the light or when do they begin enjoying the grace of
God?
Paul gives us the answer in
Romans 6:1-What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died
to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us
as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him
through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
There is nothing confusing about
what Paul has just taught us. It is very easy to see that when a person is
baptized into Christ they baptized into his death and just as Christ was raised from the
dead when we are raised from the watery grave of baptism we begin or walk in
newness of life. This is when accept God saving grace through our obedient
faith in the working of God.
Now that we have learned when a person begins there walk let take look at some scriptures that tell how we are
to walk.
1 John 2:6 6 He who says he abides in Him ought
himself also to walk just as He walked.
Hebrews
5:8-9 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things
which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became
the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
2 John 1:6 This is love, that we walk
according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard
from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Ephesians
5:15-16 15 See then that you walk circumspectly,
not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days
are evil.
The last point about Gods
amazing grace this morning is that we can know that we are saved. Sometimes
we as Christians simply lose sight of God grace and we go through life thinking
I hope that I am saved. The word Gods let us know that we can know that we are
saved by the grace of God.
1 John 5: 13 These things I have written to you who
believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal
life, and that you may continue
to believe in the name of the
Son of God.
1 John 2:5 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the
love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit.
2 Timothy 4: 6 For I am already being poured out as a
drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on
that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Having said all this let us never
forget to rejoice in the amazing grace of God.