What Grace Can Do
Ephesians 2:1-10
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Series: The Book of Ephesians
McClendon Baptist Church - July 26, 2009
(Revised March 19, 2024)
MESSAGE:
*What's so special about Christianity? -- Years ago, some religious experts in England were debating this question, and they couldn't agree on an answer.
*The debate went on for some time until C. S. Lewis walked into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard that they were debating what makes Christianity unique. C. S. Lewis immediately answered, "Oh, that's easy. -- It's grace." (1)
*Then they all agreed: The thing that makes Christianity unique is God's amazing grace! -- But what is this thing called grace?
-Grace is God's unmerited favor.
-Grace is getting good things from God that we could never deserve.
-Grace is the acronym G.R.A.C.E. -- God's Riches At Christ's Expense.
*La Juana Morris tells us that:
-"Grace is our source of power when problems are perplexing.
-Grace is the spring of our tenacity when trials trip us up.
-Grace is the element of hope when we feel harassed and helpless.
-Grace is the fortifier of our faith when we are frustrated.
-Grace allows us in times of trouble to look up instead of falling out.
*God's grace is not dependent upon our actions. The Lord doesn't give it because we were obedient, or because we had tithed, or because we attended church. The grace of God is given unto us because He loves us, and He is the God of another chance!
*Our past is not relevant to receiving his Grace. Our transgressions will not prohibit us from receiving his Grace. His Grace is the result of his outpouring love for us. And His grace permits us to be in the presence of God." (2)
*That's why Brian Bill said, "When we get to heaven, there will be no contest to see who was the most deserving of God's grace, because no one deserves it. There will only be one contest in Heaven. When we look back and see what we were before. When we see the pit from which He rescued us. When we recall how confused we were. When we remember how God reached out and took us into His family. And when we see Jesus who loved us and gave Himself for us, the only contest will be to see which of us can sing the loudest: 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. . .'" (3)
*Let's look into today's Scripture and see the impact of God's amazing grace.
1. FIRST: GOD'S GRACE GIVES LIFE TO THE LOST.
*In vs. 1-3, Paul was speaking to Christians, to saved people, to people who had trusted in Jesus Christ. Here Paul said:
1. And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2. in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3. among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
*In these verses Paul clearly explained what it means to be lost. In vs. 1 he said, "We were dead in trespasses and sins." In vs. 2, we were "sons of disobedience." And in vs. 3, we deserved God's wrath.
*Paul told those believers: "We were dead." That's because we were all born with the terminal spiritual illness called sin. And in a very real sense, we were all born dead, not physically dead, but spiritually dead, cut-off from God, and deserving to spend all eternity separated from Him. What a tragedy!
*Most of us have gone through the painful grief of a death in our family. We understand the loss that comes when someone physically dies. But if you multiplied that pain a million times, it would not begin to compare with the pain of spiritual death.
*Jerry Sillcocks was a New York firefighter and a Christian who helped search for survivors at the World Trade Center after 9-11. Jerry later wrote that he and his co-workers called ground zero "the pit." And Jerry said, "Almost everywhere I looked, mighty columns of steel were twisted into sad, pointless sculptures, towering over the tragic scene as we worked to find survivors. Gray smoke was everywhere.
*I'm no theologian -- I'm a New York firefighter -- but I can't imagine Hell being much worse than the 'pit'. I have no idea what Hell is truly like. -- But I've seen a place so bad that I want to do everything I can to make sure my friends, family, and neighbors know Jesus, and will spend eternity with Him." (4)
*Nothing is worse than spiritual death. But sadly, most people in the world today are spiritually dead. They are lost, and they don't even know it. They are on their way to hell, and they don't even know it. The reason for their spiritual death is sin.
*So, how righteous are we? -- One day a man walked up to D. L. Moody, and this man said that he had no sin in his life. Mr. Moody just replied, "Well, I would like to ask your wife about that." (5)
*How righteous are you? How righteous am I? -- Richard Wilson said, "Some folks think they are good really good people. Let's suppose that a person only sins 3 times a day: A sin in the morning, a sin during the day, and a sin at night. That sounds like a pretty good person to me! But if that person lives to be 70 years old, they will commit 76,650 sins in their lifetime." (And that doesn't count leap years!) (6)
*Romans 3:23 tells us that all of us "have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And the truth is that all of us have sinned a lot more than we think. Some of us have sinned much more than others, but all of us have sinned, and without Jesus Christ, all of us would remain dead in our sins.
*That's why everybody needs the grace of God, because it can give life to the lost. We see this new life for believers in vs. 4-5 where Paul said:
4. God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5. even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
*God's great love in vs. 4 gives life to us in vs. 5, through His saving grace. Verse 5 says that we are "made alive together with Christ." This means that spiritually, we are alive like Jesus, when we trust Him as Savior and Lord. And when we die, we will go straight to Heaven to be with Jesus. Then one day, our physical body will be resurrected too. We will have a perfect body, just like the Lord's body, and we will live in it forever!
2. GOD'S AMAZING GRACE GIVES LIFE TO THE LOST. BUT IT ALSO REVEALS GOD'S RICHES.
*God's grace reveals God's riches to His people, and Paul talked about God's riches in vs. 4-7. There the Apostle said:
4. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5. even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6. and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7. that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
*Verse 4 tells us that God is rich in mercy. Verse 7 tells Christians that we will see the exceeding riches of His grace forever. And the best place to see the riches of God's grace is in the cross of Jesus Christ!
*Jerry Bridge wrote: "Our worst days are never so bad that we are beyond the reach of God's grace. And our best days are never so good that we are beyond the need of God's grace." (7)
*Donald Stevens said, "I think that we still have a hard time understanding what grace really is. But I once heard it explained this way: 'Suppose that someone breaks into your home. In the course of a robbery, that person kills your child. If you hunt them down yourself and kill them, that's vengeance. If you allow the police to do their jobs and the person is apprehended and punished, that's justice. But if you take them into your home and adopt them as your son or daughter, that's grace." (8)
*And that's what God wants to do in all of our lives: Make you His child and take you into His home forever. God can do these amazing things through the cross of Jesus Christ. And God will do these wonderful things, if you will believe in Jesus. Put your trust in God the Father's divine Son Jesus Christ. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then you will begin to see the infinite riches of God's grace.
3. GOD'S AMAZING GRACE REVEALS HIS RICHES. BUT IT ALSO GIVES GOD THE GLORY HE DESERVES.
*God's grace leads us to give God all the glory for the good things in our lives. And that's good, because God deserves all the glory! I love the way Paul explained it to believers in vs. 8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
*What are we going to brag about in Heaven? Do you think Billy Graham will brag about how many people heard him preach? -- certainly not. Do you think John Newton will brag about how many people sang "Amazing Grace?" -- Certainly not! Do you think the Apostle Paul will brag about how much he did for the Lord? -- Not a chance! In Galatians 6:14 Paul said, "God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."
*What are we going to brag about in Heaven? -- We are going to brag about Jesus! As it is written in 1 Corinthians 1:31, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."
*The time to start is now! One unknown author gave this glory to God:
-"He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End!
-He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
*He always was, He always is, and He always will be.
-Unmoved, unchanged, and undefeated!
-He was bruised and brought healing!
-He was pierced and eased pain!
-He was dead and brought life!
-He is risen and brings power!
-He reigns and brings Peace!
*His ways are right,
-His Word is eternal,
-His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me.
*He is my Redeemer, my Savior, my guide, and my peace!
-He will never leave me,
-Never forsake me,
-Never mislead me,
-And never forget me.
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!
*He is God, He is faithful.
-I am His, and He is mine!" (9)
*Can you say that today? Can you give this glory to God? -- You can if you trust in Jesus.
4. GOD'S AMAZING GRACE GIVES GOD THE GLORY HE DESERVES. AND IT PREPARES US FOR GOD'S PURPOSE.
*God has a great purpose for our lives, and His grace helps us get there. Please listen again to what Paul tells believers in vs. 8-10:
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.
10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
*Paul says we are God's "workmanship." The original word is where we get our word "poem." Our life is like a poem being written by God, created with a great purpose in mind. But God's great purpose can only be fulfilled by His grace.
*Paul explained how it's supposed to work in Romans 12. First listen to Romans 12:3-5 from the NIV:
3. By the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
4. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5. So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
*Now listen to Romans 12:6-8 from the New Living Translation:
6. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you.
7. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching.
8. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
*Finally, listen to Romans 12:9-13 from the NKJ:
9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11. not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12. rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13. distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
*God is preparing all believers to do these kinds of good works together. All of us have different gifts, so all of us have to help or the job will never get done the way the Lord intends. We have to work together. And by God's grace, we can!
*Years ago, Bill Bouknight went to a Promise Keepers Rally at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium in Texas. At least 40,000 men were present.
*The leader said, "On a count of three, I want you to shout out as loud as you can the name of the town where you live." The men shouted on cue, and it was just bedlam. Then the leader asked them to shout out their favorite sport. Again, complete bedlam prevailed.
*But then the leader said, "On the count of three I want you to shout out the name of your Savior." In perfect unison, 40,000 men shouted the name of Jesus! The harmony was glorious! (10)
*By the grace of God, Christians, we can serve the Lord in glorious harmony:
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.
10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
*And when we walk in those good works, lives will be changed, thanks will be given, people will be helped, hearts will be touched, and souls will be saved. But it will all be by the amazing grace of Almighty God!
CONCLUSION:
*Sometimes I think back to the day when God started calling me into the ministry. It was in Petersburg, Virginia. I was working for the Air Force, and I was at Fort Lee for a 6-week school on Department of Defense contracts. I wasn’t supposed to be there, but at the last minute, the lady who was supposed to go got sick. And my boss didn’t want to lose the slot, so he sent me, even though I wasn’t qualified. You were supposed to have been working there for a year before going to this school, and I had only been there 3 months. But, unknown to me, God wanted me to go, and I went.
*I wasn't too concerned about church back then, so I went to a movie that Sunday afternoon. Riding back to Fort Lee, I turned on the radio, and heard a local preacher. I have no idea who he was, but he was preaching about Paul serving the Lord, and God used that sermon to speak to me. I was greatly, greatly moved by the message, and by my awareness of the presence of God. I almost had to pull the car off the road. And right there, God started moving my life in a whole new direction. I am really looking forward to meeting that preacher in Heaven, and telling him how God used his message to change my life.
*Christians: We never really know how much good God can do through us, when we start fulfilling His purpose for our lives. And looking back, we will see that it was all by God's amazing grace.
*If you have never put your trust in God the Father's only begotten Son Jesus Christ, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. He died on the cross for your sins, and three days later, Jesus rose again in everlasting victory over sin and death. Now Jesus will give you eternal life, if you will turn to Him and call on the Lord to save you. You can do in in a moment when we go back to God in prayer.
*And Christians, join us in prayer, as we thank God for His amazing grace!
(1) WHAT'S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE by Philip Yancey - Copyright 1997 - Zondervan Publishing House, page 41
(2) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "God's Grace Is Sufficient" by La Juana Morris - John 1:16-17
(3) SermonCentral illustration - Source: Brian Bill in "The Scandal of Grace”
(4) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Kenneth Sauer
(5) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Guy McGraw
(6) Adapted from SermonCentral illustration contributed by Richard Wilson
(7) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Jerry Bridge
(8) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Donald Stevens
(9) Adapted from SermonCentral illustration - SOURCE: www.bible.org/docs/pastor/bits/bits-110.htm
(10) ChristianGlobe.com sermon "The Love Triangle: Man-Woman-God" by Bill Bouknight - Psalm 127:1
