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?
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
Romans
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
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 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
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.