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.
I can hear some of you thinking, How could I be living and yet dead? I’m glad you asked. To answer this question, we must understand what death means. The basic meaning of death is separation. Death never means extinction, annihilation, or non-existence. Death simply means that a person is separated, either separated from his body or from God or from both. H.S. Miller says, "Death is the separation of a person from the purpose or use for which he was intended" We must understand that man was created to know, fellowship, worship, and serve God; but some find no time to do so. If he worships at all, he worships his own ideas and concepts of God, creating a god to suit his own ideas, a god that will allow him to go ahead and live as he wishes. So his idea of a god, separates him from the true and living God, which puts him into the state found in verse one, “dead in his trespasses.”
Secondly, God’s Amazing Grace. . .
2. PROVIDES THE ANTIDOTE FROM THE POISON OF SIN (v.4-7)
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made us alive] together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), 6. And hath raised us up together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; 7. That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.”
I need you to note that this little conjunction “but” is so important to the text. But God, being rich in mercy, on account of His great love with which He loved us made us alive together with Christ. God is rich in mercy. He had mercy on me and He has had mercy on you. This is such a radical change from the first three verses, which found us hopelessly lost. We were complete failures and incapable of saving himself.
• But God, who is rich in mercy.
• But God, who has great love with which He loves us.
• But God, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ.
• But God, who raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ.
But God, comes on this scene of spiritual death with His mercy. He does not have too little, He is not too late. He has a surplus, because He is an infinite God who is rich in infinite mercy. He has what I need. He has what you need. The only requirement is that us believe in Him.
So if through God’s Grace, (1) we are forgiven of our terrible past and (2) His Grace, provides for us the antidote from the poison of sin, then the third and
final thing is that. . .
3. WE CAN RECEIVE GOD’S ULTIMATE GIFT (vv. 8 &9)
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9. Not of works, lest any man can boast.”
These two verses of scriptures gives us God’s ultimate gift known to man and that is salvation. We may experience healing through God and blessing from God, but the one thing that we can truly say is that the most important gift from God that we’ve received is salvation through His Son Jesus who is the Christ. This passage is one of the great evangelistic summaries of the Bible. In this passage is the watchword for our basic Christian theology: “Grace.” By grace alone, through faith alone, to God alone be all the glory. If a man wants to be saved, these verses tell him how to be saved. Salvation is the work of God, of God’s grace and of God’s grace alone. It is not of man, not to any degree whatsoever.
▸ Salvation is a free gift of God. It is by grace alone that man is saved. Man can do nothing whatsoever to save himself. He cannot earn, win, or merit salvation. All man can do is accept the fact that God says He can and will save him. (Romans 11:6).
▸ Salvation is received by faith (Romans 3:27. Man must believe just what God says and accept His Word, accept His free offer of salvation. And when he accepts the fact that God says He will save him, God takes him and creates him into a "new man" (2 Cor. 5:17).
You are saved by God’s grace. Grace means the favor and kindness of God, but there is a uniqueness about God’s favor and kindness. His favor and kindness are given despite the fact that it is undeserved and unmerited. God has done a thing unheard of among mankind: God has given His grace to men. He gave it. . .• despite how we rejecting Him.
• despite our rebelling against Him..
• despite our denial of Him.
• despite how we neglected Him.
• despite our half-hearted commitment to Him.
• despite our worship of religion instead of Him.
• despite our false worship.
• despite our sins.
Grace is giving, but it is giving to people who do not deserve the gift. What is the gift that God has given? The gifts name Jesus the Christ. God has given His Son, Jesus, to save us. He did not have to give His Son. And God could have wiped man from the face of the earth. And we would’ve deserved it, but God sent His Grace. God is full of mercy and love and kindness—by His very nature He is full of these glorious qualities. Therefore, God was bound to shower His grace upon us. God was bound to send His Son to save us all.
CONCLUSION
Well before I close, Chuck Swindoll wrote in the book "The Grace Awakening":
If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
So God sent us a Savior!
Are you glad about it? Are you glad that He sent His Only begotten Son, that was chosen to supply what you and I had needed. Someone said that He died for you and I, and I’m so glad that He did. But I like to think that He didn’t die, but He gave up His life, He laid it down so that we could have life eternal. The bible says “Greater love has no man than this, than to lie down his life for a friend.” and I’m so glad that I have a friend that was willing and able to lay down His life for me.
Now you may be wondering who is this friend? Well I tell you, Cheryl, Rochelle, and Alonzo loves me, but they can’t die for my sins. Rev. Fox and Minister Johnson loves me, but they can’t die for my sins. The deacons, deaconess, trustees, missionaries and Mrs M. Loves me, but they can’t die for my sins. And I know that Salem loves me, but you know what, Salem can’t die for my sins.
But we have a friend. That loved us so, that He gave His life for you and I. And His name is Jesus the Glorious Son of God.
