God's Amazing Grace Series

GOD’S AMAZING GRACE

Ephesians 2:1-10

My brothers and sisters there is a song that is sung by the Church , that came to mind when I was preparing this message. By now you can probably guess the song that I’m thinking of. It is entitled Amazing Grace. This grand old hymn of the Church which John Newton wrote the first three stanzas in the 1700’s, then John Rees in 1859 added stanzas four, has been sung in many churches across this nation and was and is still able to touch the lives of many regardless of their culture. Its words elevate your mind heavenwardly as they say, “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound. That save of wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found, was Blind but now I see.” I tell you this song rather sung metered or in the glorious majesty of a cathedral choir, will never stop us from our contemplative consideration of the salvation that can be obtained when you’ve given your heart to Jesus.

This text speaks to us about that wonderful grace that we’ve received through our faith. Theologians has said that it is our undeserving favor. But God views it from a different perspective. He gave us grace not because we deserved it and the theologians are correct, but He gave us grace because we had need of it. As we look at the last two chapters, we find that chapter 1 emphasized our possessions in Christ; and chapter 2 emphasizes our position in Christ. Our position determines our possessions and authority. For example, regardless of where the President of the United States may be physically, his position as the man who sits behind the desk in the White House gives him power and authority. That is also the way it is with the Christian. Regardless of where we might be physically, we have power and authority in the spiritual realm because of our position in Christ. There is an example in the text, Paul although he was writing from a Roman prison, does not take from the fact that he is a Christian that is fill with Holy Ghost power and authority, and his situation and where he was, cannot take anything away from the fact of his calling and the grace that allowed it to be.

Last week we learned to give thanks for the people of God in our prayers. One of the things that we the people of God must learn to do on regular basis is to give thanks daily for those who labor with us in the faith. I felt that we left the church last week encouraged to thank God for and to go out and thank someone for their acts of kindness that they rendered unto you. You know we often thank the boss, when it was not the boss who hired us. And we thank the realtor, when it was not the realtor who worked out the details of the loan. So we learned to pray for those who labor with us and to thank the Lord for those who have thankless jobs.

This week we are to look at each other in a new light. Looking at how He has made us whole spiritually, although we were dead in trespasses and sin. It was no righteousness of our own that He did this. It was not because we were so good either. But it was because of His mercy and grace that we are saved from our sin.

Let’s take a look at God’s Amazing Grace.

First of all. . .

1. WE ARE FORGIVEN FROM OUR TERRIBLE PAST (v.1)

“And you hath He quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

This chapter is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. It focuses upon the life of the Christian believer. It discusses our past, our present, and our future. It shows what life was like before Christ came into it and what it has become. It discusses what God has done for man in the work of His mercy and the gift of His grace. I should have you to know that once you had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you were set free from all types of sin. Regardless of how mean you were or how sinful you may have been, Jesus, because of God’s mercy and His grace had forgiven you from it all. Franklin Williams of the Williams Brothers said in his song; Your grace and mercy brought me through, I’m living this moment because of You; I want to thank you and praise you to: Your grace and mercy brought me through. We have to admit that it was God’s grace and mercy that brought us through the terrible fix that we were in. He gave His Mercy because we needed to be forgiven, His Grace because forgiveness was supplied by a Savior in His Son Jesus Christ. Oh, if we can allow this statement to saute in our hearts for a moment. Now with His Grace and Mercy, He provided an effective healing for our terrible past and provided for us an eternal future through Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, before Christ we were dead, with Him we are made alive.