Gods amazing grace

 

 

We sing that song so many times that I think we forget to focus in on what it is teaching. The man that wrote this song seems to have a good understanding of just how amazing Gods grace really is. Without the grace of God no one can be saved. So the morning we are going to explore God 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?

 

  1. properly, that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness:  grace of speech
  2. the N. T. writers use grace pre-eminently of that kindness by which God bestow:  favors even upon the ill-deserving, and grants to sinners the pardon of their offences, and bids them accept of eternal salvation through Christ: 

 

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.  10 For 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 20 dollar bill 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 20 dollars.

 

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 Jordan river 7 times. It wasn’t until he obeyed that he received the free gift of God.

 

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.

 

Many in the religious world would teach that God grace cannot be miss used but the Bible teaches differently.

 

 

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 loose site 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.