GOD’S SAVING GRACE
Today we are going to talk about God’s Saving Grace – that is – God’s grace that reaches from the highest heaven and touches our lives in an effort to save us. Our text for today is found in Psalm One Hundred Forty Five – it is verse eight. Please follow along with me as I read:
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.” Psalms 145:8 (NKJV)
In America we have some common phrases – please complete these with me:
If it sounds too good to be true... it probably is.
We make money the old fashion way ... we earn it.
There’s no such thing as a free ... lunch.
There is no gain without ... pain.
God helps those who ... help themselves.
These phrases are part of the American work ethic. In America we are very aware of the values of competition and free enterprise. We know what it means to work hard and earn a living by the sweat of our brows. We tell people, "You get what you deserve in life" and "If you want to get ahead in life – you can do it by your own efforts.”
Here is the problem – when it comes to our salvation we think that if we work hard enough – we can earn it. We think – if I’m good enough – if I go to church enough – if I pray enough – if I give enough money to the church – if I read the Bible enough – then God will love me and save me. But here is the truth – God doesn’t operate on the American work ethic. Let’s read our focal text again:
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.” Psalms 145:8 (NKJV)
Go ahead and circle the word – "gracious". The Bible teaches that God is gracious. He loves to be gracious to you and to me. That means that God loves to bless people who don’t deserve it – God showing favor to you and me even though we didn’t earn it.
For the Christian – grace is the heart of our faith. It is the center of our relationship with God. When we come to understand that our salvation is based on grace – we will be drawn closer to God and we will love God more. Grace is like a multi-faceted diamond – there are many aspects to it. Grace has been defined in a variety of ways: some have said – grace is “God’s unmerited favor.” Some have said grace is, "God’s love in action." Others define it as: "God giving me what I need – not what I deserve." One of my favorite definitions is – "Grace is the face that God wears when He looks at my failures." For you see that God is always – “gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.”
There is a great difference between grace and mercy – even though they walk hand in hand. Mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we deserve – punishment. Grace is when God gives us what we don’t deserve – blessing. God’s saving grace is a blessing to anyone who will receive it.
Today I want us to look at five aspects of God’s Saving Grace.
1. God’s Saving Grace is a GIFT
Follow along with me as I read Ephesians chapter two and verse eight:
“By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
Go ahead and circle – “it is the gift of God.” Salvation is God’s free gift to you. But many people think that they can earn their way to heaven by being good. I have heard people say: “The way you get to heaven is that you try to do good and do your best – work real hard and be a moral person then God may let you into heaven.” Folks that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that salvation is a free gift of God. I like the way the New Living Translation expresses Ephesians chapter two and verse eight – read along with me:
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)
If my salvation is based on the fact that I am “good” – then I CAN take credit for it. But if it is a free gift of God – I have nothing to brag about. I can take no credit for it at all. God in His mercy and grace has given it to me – I don’t deserve it. But “the Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.”
There isn’t anything you can do to save yourself. You just need to accept God’s free gift of grace – it is a gift that you and I need to receive. That brings me to point two:
2. God’s Saving Grace Must Be RECEIVED
No gift does you any good unless you will receive it. If I handed you a check for a thousand dollars and you never cashed it – it would do you no good.
I remember a few years ago that at Christmas Cathy and I gave electric blankets to our sons. Needless to say – our sons were less than excited. It wasn’t until our youngest son moved out of our house and into his own apartment that the gift became valuable to him. In order to keep cost down in the apartment he turned the thermostat down during winter. It was then that our son came looking for the electric blanket that he had left unopened on a shelf in the basement. When he opened it and used it – it became valuable to him. It helped keep him warm on a cold winter night. The Bible says:
“God has also given riches and wealth to every man, and He has allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19 (HCSB)
Circle the words – “take his reward”. A gift is useless unless it is taken – unless it is used. God says, “Take it. I give it to you. This is gift to you. Rejoice in it. Enjoy it.”
How do you receive it? You receive it in faith.
Faith is the key that unlocks the door to heaven.
Remember Ephesians chapter two and verse eight that we talked about earlier - “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
Saving grace becomes activated by your faith.
God says, “Salvation is a gift – here it is – have faith in Me – take it.”
Paul said,
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
Notice that Paul says that he now lives, “by faith in the Son of God , who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Paul realized that Christ died on a cross for his sins and he put his faith in that fact. He received the free gift that God had to offer.
The Bible is full of stories of God’s Saving Grace.
Do you remember the story that Jesus told of the prodigal son? It is a story of God’s Saving Grace. Let me tell you the story again.
There was a man who had two sons. In his youth – one of them got a little anxious and independent spirited. He came to his father and said, "Dad, I want you to give me my inheritance. I know that I will get it when I am older – but I would rather have it now." The dad said, “Ok.” So he gave the son his inheritance and right then and there – the son took off. He went out and had a good time – I mean a really good time – wine, women and song – living it up – blowing all the money. One day he ran out of money and he goes to the nearest ATM and finds out there is no more money to be withdrawn. He hits rock bottom – morally, spiritually, financially. Fortunately he finds a job sloping hogs. It doesn’t pay much so he becomes hungry - so hungry that he would eat the food that the pigs were eating. Finally he looks at his life and says, “What am I doing. I need to go home and ask Dad to forgive me. Maybe Dad will give me job.”
On the way home the son starts practicing what he is going to say to his father.
“Dad, I’ve blown it. I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I don’t deserve to be called your son any more. Just make me one of your hired servants and I will work for you as a servant for the rest of my life. I’ve seen how you treat your servants and I would rather be doing that than feeding pigs. Please let me come and work for you. I will live in the servants quarters."
You know what happens – the father sees him from a long way off. He runs out and greets the boy. He grabs him with a great big bear hug. He is smiling from ear to ear and he shouts out. "Bring out the royal robes – bring out family jewels and put them on my son – let’s have a party. This son who I thought was dead and gone has come back home.”
The son at that point had a choice to make. He could accept his father’s forgiveness and love or he could reject it. Folks, in many ways we are like the prodigal son. The son deserved condemnation. The son deserved to be judged. The son deserved to be rejected. The son deserved a lecture. But instead he received love – unconditional love from the father. That is like the Saving Grace of God that you and I can receive from our Heavenly Father - by faith.
Point three:
3. God’s Saving Grace is Available to EVERYONE
When it comes to grace – God doesn’t play favorites. You can be tall or you can be short. You can be male or you can be female. You can be rich or you can be poor. You can have dark skin or you can have light skin. Regardless of your background, regardless of your status, regardless of your sin – God is more than willing to show you His grace. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been a religious person or a non-religious person – God’s grace is available to you. The Bible says:
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11 (NKJV)
The Message Bible says it this way:
“God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone!” Titus 2:11 (MSG)
God’s saving grace is available to you. You don’t deserve it. You can’t earn it. But God is willing to give it to you today. In the book of Acts it says:
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:21 (HCSB)
God’s saving grace is available to everyone. It is available to anyone who will open up their heart in faith. Go ahead and circle the word “everyone”. There are no quotas in heaven. Heaven is not going to run out of room. The Bible doesn’t say that only really good people will be saved. The Bible doesn’t say that only religious people will be saved. The Bible doesn’t say that only smart people will be saved. But it does say that, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Anybody who calls on the name of the Lord – who has faith in the saving work of Jesus – will be saved.
That brings us to point four:
4. God’s Saving Grace Comes Through JESUS CHRIST
The Bible tells us:
“The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17 (NKJV)
Why is God’s saving grace given through Jesus Christ and not through someone else? Because Jesus paid the price for you to receive grace. You see God’s saving grace is free – but it is not cheap. Jesus paid the cost of what it takes to get you to heaven. On the cross He paid for your sins. No one else has done that. The Bible tells us that:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
You have sinned and I have sinned – and the truth of the matter is that God does not ignore our sin. He knows everything that we have done wrong – every sinful action – every unkind word – every wicked thought – God is aware of them all and He did something about it. John chapter three tells us:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
Christ on the cross paid for your sin. No - God does not ignore your sin – He sent His Son to die for it. Christ’s death on the cross was for a purpose – to cover your sin and my sin. Someone had to be punished for what we have done wrong. Someone – had to be deal with it. Christ did. All of us have messed up – really messed up – but Jesus came to fix it. By His dying on the cross He suffered the punishment that we deserved. Now we are offered God’s saving grace.
God’s saving grace is a free gift. You can accept it in faith by believing that Christ died for your sins. Grace is offered to you and to me because of what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross. Some have taken the word grace – G R A C E - and said it means God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. You see God’s saving grace comes through the sacrifice of Christ – it comes only because Christ died for your sin.
Point five:
5. God’s Saving Grace is Extended for ETERNITY
In Romans we find these words:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
Go ahead and circle the words “eternal life”. The result of God’s saving grace is going to go on forever and ever. Life - eternal life - is one of the benefits of God’s saving grace. Not only does God save you - but He has prepared a place for you to live - forever and ever and ever.
You could say that grace is the gift that keeps on giving. God saves the best for last and the best is yet to come. With Jesus Christ it just keeps getting better and better. The Bible says the free gift of God is eternal life in heaven.
Have you ever thought of what is heaven really going to be like? The Bible tells us that heaven is going to be like three things.
1. A place of reunion. We will be reunited with other loved ones who have accepted God’s saving grace.
2. A place of reward. We will be rewarded for the Christian character that we developed and our service to other people here on earth.
3. A place of release. It will be a place of no more pain, no more sadness, no more sorrow, no more suffering. It will be a place where all grief, all depression, all loneliness is gone.
It will a wonderful place that will last forever and ever and ever.
Here is God’s greatest gift to you. It is called God’s Saving Grace. Will you receive it? Will you open it? Will you use it? It is offered to everyone - to you and to me. It comes through the sacrifice that of Jesus Christ. He died on a cross for your sins and for my sins. And if you will receive this gift it has a great benefit package that goes along with it - that will last – forever and ever and ever.
Prayer:
"Dear God, I realize that I can never be good enough to earn a place in heaven. I realize that the only way I’ll get there is by Your saving grace. Forgive me for thinking that I could be good enough or that I can do enough to win Your approval. I thank You that You give me what I need – not what I deserve. Grant me Your saving grace today and allow me to commit myself to following You today and every day – for the rest of my life. Amen
Thanks to Richard Warren for his sermon starter ideas.
