All Because Of Grace

All Because of Grace

August 13, 2000

Text: Ephesians’ chapter 2: 1-10

I would like to talk today about Grace and Mercy,

There is a story about

Peter Miller who had an unsaved neighbor who hated and ridiculed him. But when his unsaved neighbor was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death; Miller walked to the camp of Gen. George Washington to beg for the man’s life. Washington listened to Miller’s plea, but said he did not believe Miller’s friend could be spared death. Miller said, “ he is not my friend, but my worst enemy” With that Washington granted the pardon.

I. Definitions of Grace and Mercy

1. Mercy is not getting what we deserve-e.g. your children disobey and deserve the wooden spoon or a week’s restriction, they know what their consequence is but you let them off early or pardon them.

2. Now I don’t recommend that you pardon them every time.

3. Or

The little boy who lied and whose daddy was going to spank him with the paddle, but instead to show Christ to his son, knowing punishment was required he allowed the little boy to spank him, that is mercy. Like Christ, Dad knew the sin had to be punished, but his mercy for his son spawned by love for his son-motivated him to be the one to receive the punishment

Church, Do you think we could turn the world upside down if we administered mercy like that?

What are some Definition’s of Grace

1. G.R.A.C.E- God’s riches at Christ’s expense

2.Unmerited favor

3.Grace is getting what we do not deserve!

From the Greek the word is Charis-(karis)-Vine’s –loving kindness in the case of God’s redemptive mercy.

Today I want us to look at God’s Grace in four areas of our lives:

1. God’s Grace saves us

2. open your bibles to Ephesians ch 2 p.153 in your pew bible

Let’s Pray

Eph 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Eph 2:3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Eph 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve

Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Grace- God giving us what we do not deserve

Eph 2:6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,

Eph 2:7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Grace is the gift from God: faith is our part of the transaction, God will take 9 steps toward us, but he will not take the 10th, the 10th is our leap of FAITH

Dead and Dead- All of us born a natural person after Adam- are born dead, But God because of mercy and Grace wants us to be made alive in Christ Jesus.

That is why it is futile to compare ourselves to anyone else, because we all indulged the desires of our flesh and mind and in the natural born state by nature objects of God’s impending anger. All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

When I think of GRACE as God’s power for salvation I think of the apostle Paul, admittedly the chief of all sinners, bearing witness to the stoning of Stephen in Acts ch 9

On that road spoken to by the risen Christ

Saul Saul why are you persecuting me?

Blinding Saul and then the GRACE of our LORD to send Ananias to lay hands on him.

Acts 9:13 Ananias had heard how bad this man Saul truly was!

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, ( Ananias) "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;

Can it be anything but the GRACE of God when He takes a murderer like Paul or a sinner like me or like you and after baptism fills us with His Holy Spirit and then uses us to HIS GLORY?

It is God’s Grace that saved Paul

Secondly,