God's Amazing Grace Part One

God’s amazing Grace Part one

Ephesians 2:1-10

Introduction-

This morning we start a 2 week sermon on grace. God’s amazing grace and what benefits it means to each of us.

Commercials are designed to create a picture of need and a picture of want. Words like “revolutionize your life” “one pill a day” to look amazing. “New and Improved” to make you want to try that product again.

God’s grace paints a picture also. It paints a picture of where we are without Christ and where we are in Christ.

Biggest losers program with before and after pictures- they make us see the difference because you notice that drastic change.

Apostle Paul shows us several ways God brings change into our life.

He shows us we need a make-over.

He shows us we need to be rescued from our past.

Jesus offers us a new hope in life.

The song Amazing Grace is iconic in the Christian circle because it puts that transformation and God’s rescue into words that most of us could not put together.

Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I am found,

Was blind but now I see.

Once, we were dead, doomed to die in our sins, and then because of God’s grace and mercy we are offered a do-over.

Ephesians 2:1-10

The first thing that you have to recognize is:

I. Man’s condition without Christ

He is talking to converted believers and acknowledges that before Christ they were dead in their sins.

They were born into sin.

They were doomed to die.

Like the song,

I once was lost, but now I am found,

Was blind but now I see.

Lehman Strauss

“The clearer the picture of our destitute condition before we were saved, the greater is our appreciation of what God has undertaken to do for us.”

A person without Christ is alive physically, but dead spiritually.

3 kinds of dead

Physical

Spiritual

Eternal

That is why Jesus says that physical death is not what we ought to fear.

Physical death only separates our spirit from our body.

Spiritual death is our spirit apart from God for eternity.

That is why we are alive in Christ!

(1) “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you use to live, when you followed the ways of the world, and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

Spiritual death is the past condition of the believer, and the present condition for everyone else.(repeat)

One of my favorite verses is II Peter 2:9

“ The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

I can also picture a weeping Jesus as He watches people trying His patience.

Not realizing the high cost that He paid.

People putting His invitation on the pile and saying maybe another time.

Illustration

When I was in High school, the military draft was in effect. My freshmen year the draft was in full effect. Upon graduation, I would have been drafted according to my birthday. By my junior year, the draft was stopped and all graduates were required to register upon graduation at the post office.

When I was a freshmen, had I been drafted, Uncle Sam says “I want you”, and I would have had no choice but to go. My Senior year, Uncle Sam says to you “I want you”, but you are not required to go, but to register if I need you. The draft is a terrible way to recruit people, because most do not want to go.

God, on the other hand, sees us in our lost condition, still looks at us and tells us “I want you”, but offers us a choice.

“yet to all who receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God, children not born out of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husbands will, but born of God.”

You were not born a Christian- you were not born a Nazarene, you were born a sinner.

You just don’t decide- your good enough to be accepted by God.

You cannot get their by who your parents are.

You willfully have to sign up so to speak!

Illustration-

I am a hugger. Surprise! I’d rather hug you than shack your hand. I have noticed some people are not huggers. It’s not your fault, your just not use to it. Most of you are not good at it. You know who you are! You tighten up tighter than a drum. You hug on the same side and we almost crash heads. Some, over the years we have laughed about it, because now, I wouldn’t call you a hugger, but you don’t tighten up as much.