Introduction

Some of us walked in today with hearts like clenched fists—trying to hold it all together, trying to square the accounts with God, trying to make sense of a week that wore us thin. We wonder if grace has a limit, if mercy has a meter, if love has a ledger. We keep a mental checklist: pray more, try harder, do better. We want to impress the One who already loves us. We reach for a ladder when God offers open arms.

Take a breath, friend. Grace greets you at the door. Grace pulls out a chair and says, “Sit here.” Grace pours a fresh cup of peace and whispers, “You are welcome.” Before you managed a good week or weathered a bad one, God went first in love. Long before you could string together a flawless day, He put together a flawless plan—Jesus, given for you. That’s why our hearts steady when we hear words like gift, receive, fullness, and favor. They sound like home to the tired soul.

Wayne Grudem says, “God’s grace means God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology) That sentence lands like rain on dry ground. Goodness, not grimness. Favor, not a frown. A gift that cannot be priced and cannot be paid back.

Have you ever tried to scrub a stain that soap can’t touch? Maybe it was on your shirt; maybe it was on your spirit. We scrub with success. We scrub with comparison. We scrub with a smile that hides a bruise. And then Grace walks in with a better detergent—the blood of Jesus—capable, complete, cleansing. Suddenly, the stain loses its stubborn hold. Suddenly, the heart learns a new habit: receiving.

Grace does what sweat cannot. Grace gives what striving cannot. Grace grows what shame cannot. And faith? Faith opens the hands. Faith lets go of ladders and clenched fists. Faith says, “I can’t, but I trust the One who can,” and then rests in the finished work of Christ. Today, we will lift three simple truths like windows to the sunlight: grace cannot be earned; faith receives what deeds cannot secure; relationship with God is established by His grace. And we will ask God to make these truths more than lines on a page—life in our bones, music in our mouths, strength in our steps.

Before we read, hear this as if God were saying it with your name attached: No more bartering, no more bargaining, no more pretending. Come with empty hands. Leave with a full heart. Come as you are. Walk out as who you are—beloved.

Scripture Reading

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 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.

John 1:16 (NKJV) 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

Opening Prayer

Gracious Father, thank You for the gift that outgives our need. Thank You for Jesus—our righteousness, our rescue, our rest. Open our eyes to see the beauty of Your grace. Open our ears to hear Your voice above the noise of fear and the nagging of shame. Quiet the hurry inside us. Soften our hearts where they have grown hard. Teach us to trust You, to receive from You, to rejoice in You. Let Your Word wash us, lift us, and lead us. May the fullness of Christ fill our emptiness, and may Your favor free us from frantic living. We ask this in the strong and gentle name of Jesus. Amen.

Grace that cannot be earned

We try to keep score. We try to add up points. We try to make sure we have done enough. That rhythm feels normal in most parts of life. Pay a bill. Earn a grade. Finish a task. God does not run on that clock. His kindness toward us comes from Him. It comes from His heart, His plan, His Son. The cross is where that kindness shows its depth. Jesus stood in our place. Jesus bore our guilt. Jesus rose to give life. That is where this whole thing starts.

This changes how we see God. It changes how we see ourselves. We do not look inside to find a reason for hope. We look to Him. We look to Christ. We hear the good news and we breathe. Grace is not a wage. Grace is not a prize at the end of a contest. Grace means God moves toward people who bring need. He meets that need with His own strength. He does not wait for us to tidy up. He moves first and keeps moving.

This also changes the pace of the soul. We do not have to rush to secure His smile. We do not have to wake each day and wonder if the account ran dry. John’s words help here. He says we receive from Jesus in a steady flow. Grace upon grace. Wave after wave. The supply is Christ Himself. He does not run out. He does not ration His fullness. He gives and keeps on giving.

It changes how we talk about sin and shame. We do not hide. We do not make excuses. We bring it into the light and call it what it is. Then we look at the cross again. The stain is real. The blood of Jesus is stronger. When grace takes the lead, the past loses its grip. The future opens. New habits can grow. New desires can bloom. And none of this depends on a scorecard.

It shapes our prayers too. We stop making bargains. We start asking like children who know their Father cares. We ask big. We ask bold. We ask often. We ask in Jesus’ name. We ask because He has already given us the best when He gave His Son. If He did that, He will not withhold what we truly need. That is how grace talks. That is how faith learns to speak back.

It answers our worry about security. Many of us live with a low hum of fear. Am I safe with God? Will He tire of me? The message of the gospel says this: the saving work comes from Him. The keeping work comes from Him. He started this by grace. He continues by grace. He finishes by grace. That steadies the heart. That gives courage for the day in front of us.

Now listen to the words Paul uses. He says we are saved by grace. That line tells us where salvation comes from. It comes from God’s kindness, not from our record. Salvation means rescue. Rescue from sin’s guilt. Rescue from sin’s power. Rescue from death’s claim. The verb shows a firm action with lasting effect. God has acted in Christ, and the result stands. This is not a fragile thing that breaks with one bad day. This is a strong thing, held by a strong Savior. When we say “I am saved by grace,” we are saying God stepped in. We are saying His mercy moved toward us when we could not move toward Him. We are saying Jesus did the heavy lifting, and He did it well.

Paul adds that this rescue comes through faith. Faith is trust. Faith looks away from self and looks to Christ. Faith is a hand that rests in His hand. Faith says, “You are enough for me.” Faith connects us to what Jesus has done. The strength is in the Savior. The cord is faith. This guards us from bragging about our faith as if it were a trophy. Faith is simple reliance. It is the difference between knowing a chair can hold you and sitting down. Faith sits. Faith leans its weight on Jesus. In that simple act of trust, the grace of God reaches us and makes us new.

Paul keeps going. He says the whole saving thing is not from us. It is given by God. That line closes the door on human pride. The origin is heaven, not human will. The plan started in God’s heart long before we took our first breath. He saw us. He loved us. He sent His Son for us. When He gives, He gives with a steady hand. He does not send an invoice. He does not ask for payback. He gives because He is good. That is why John can say we receive from Christ’s fullness. There is more grace after the first grace. There is fresh mercy for fresh need. The source stays the same. The Lord stays the same.

Paul adds one more guardrail. He says this salvation does not arise from our works. That line helps us think clearly about good deeds. Our deeds have a place, but they do not build the bridge to God. They show the life that grace has planted. They are fruit, not the tree. When we remember that, something sweet happens. Boasting goes quiet. Gratitude speaks up. People become people again, not rivals. Service becomes joy again, not a way to keep score. We still act. We still obey. We still pursue what is right. We do that as those who already belong. We do that as those who keep receiving from the fullness of Christ.

Faith receives what deeds cannot secure

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