SIN-SALVATION, & SERVICE
(a message about God’s Amazing Grace)
Text-Ephesians 2:8-10
by Rev. Danny Moss
Introduction-
In my opinion, this is the Golden Text that
tells us what we need to know about God’s Amazing
Grace. It tells us-
-why men desperately need God’s grace
-how God’s grace is obtained, and
-the purpose of God in bestowing grace
upon undeserving sinners
Let’s tackle these issues one at a time, and let
God speak to our hearts concering His Amazing Grace.
I. First, WHY MEN DESPERATELY NEED GOD’S GRACE
Everyone needs God’s grace; indeed, everyone must
have God’s grace,or perish eternally and be separ-
ated from all that is good, and holy.
We stand in need of God’s grace because we are all
sinners, sinners by nature, and sinners by choice.
Man’s nature has not basically changed from what
it has been since the Fall, when Adam & Eve chose
to disobey God in the Garden of Eden.
Read your daily newspaper. Since long, long ago,
men have murdered, stolen, lied, cheated, hated,
abused, exploited, and enslaved other human beings,
made in the image of God. All the scientific ad-
vances that we have made, all the discoveries that
have been made in medicine, and psychology, and
every other field have done little to nothing to
make man more considerate of others, more inter-
ested in serving than in obtaining wealth and
power, and more compassionate for those less for-
tunate. We are still sinners.
The Bible says that "the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life, through
Jesus Christ, our Lord." Man’s destiny apart from
God’s grace and forgiveness is Death, both physical,
and spiritual-in Hell, a place of everlasting shame
and punishment." Yes, Virginia, there is a Hell!
Many who deny its existence will know its reality
all too well someday. Flee from the wrath to come!
That is the Bibical mandate, and that is God’s
grace, anc mercy.
We are all descendents of Adam, members of a con-
demned race, for we all have corrupt hearts,
deceitful hearts, incapable of helping ourselves
out of our own dilemma. But, praise God!, that is
where His grace comes in.
II. Secondly, LET’S CONSIDER SALVATION
There are really only two main ways of looking at
how men are saved. Either it is by what man does,
or, it is by the grace of God-apart and seperate
from human merit.
Many professing Christians believe in salvation
by works, that they have to do so much more good
than evil, or achieve so much more goodness than
wickedness by their works to earn salvation-go to
church, say prayers, do deeds of kindness, sacri-
fice some great thing-then, and only then, they
think, will they obligate God to take them into
Heaven. Such foolishess!!! That is not the
grace of God. Grace is what God does for us that
we cannot do for ourselves. If the death of Jesus
was not necessary to save us, if we could be good
enough, or do enough to earn our way into God’s
Heaven, then He died in vain. BUT, IN REALITY,
OUR ONLY HOPE IS THE GRACE OF GOD, AND THE SHED
BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT CLEANSES US
FROM ALL SIN-freely, and eternally.
Salvation is of the Lord. It is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God, who
showeth mercy.
III. Thirdly, Let’s look at SERVICE.
These verses also tell us why we are saved, and
made recepients of God’s mercy. WE ARE SAVED TO
SERVE, that in the ages to come God might receive
all glory and praise for His goodness to us in
giving His Son to die on our behalf, on the cross.
We are not saved by works, but we are saved FOR
GOOD WORKS. As a matter of fact, this text re-
veals that God, even before the foundation of
the world, had a wonderful plan for your life and
mine, a plan that would redeem us, and glorify
Him. God made no mistakes. He left nothing
undone. He has a flawless MasterPlan.
To His be glory now and forever. Amen.
Invitation-As we read in these verses, we are
sinners saved by grace for service, saved by
grace through faith. Faith is not something
inately in man. It is the gift of God.
By faith, given to you by God, look to Christ
alone, now to save you, and you will be saved.
