I. EXORDIUM:
Are you saved by grace?
Yes. Not of works, not of religion.
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
Believers/unbelievers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show that GOD saved us all by grace and salvation is GOD'S gift to mankind.
IV. TEXT:
Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified Bible)
For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
V. THESIS:
Praise, worship, glorify, adore, bless, honor, acknowledge and thank You very much LORD JESUS for Your Grace that saved, and enabled me to come to the FATHER, this is 100% not from any human or me, but it's 100$ divine in it's nature, and it is GOD's gift to me.
VI. TITLE:
By Grace I am saved through faith
VII. EXPLICATION: [Source: Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines]
A. Author: Apostle Paul
B. Date written: 60 A.D. to 64 A.D.
C. Purpose: To show believers their position in CHRIST and encourage them to walk accordingly
D. To whom written: church at Ephesus
E. Key verses: Ephesians 1:10; 2:6, 14-22; 4:3-16 (especially Ephesians 4:13).
F. Keywords: together, one, In CHRIST, In heavenly places, riches
VIII. MAIN BODY:
Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified Bible)
For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
Ephesians 2:8 (New King James Version)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
A. By grace through faith we have been saved.
"For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith."
Ephesians 2:5 (Amplified Bible)
Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).
Romans 3:24 (Amplified Bible)
[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
2 Thessalonians 1:9 (Amplified Bible)
Such people will pay the penalty and suffer the punishment of everlasting ruin (destruction and perdition) and eternal exclusion and banishment from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
GOD'S Presence in us is all Grace-made, 100% GOD and Divine and 0% human effort. Penalty and punishment simply means banishment from the Presence of the LORD JESUS and from the glory of His Power.
Grace as GOD'S Gift to every mankind is empowered by belief and faith in the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Without this faith, grace will not perfectly function in our lives.
Mark 16:16 (Amplified Bible)
He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned.
Luke 7:50 (Amplified Bible)
But Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go (enter) into peace [in freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin].
John 3:14-18 (Amplified Bible)
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross],
In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation—he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.]
John 3:36 (Amplified Bible)
And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him. [God’s displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.]
John 5:24 (Amplified Bible)
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.
John 6:27-29 (Amplified Bible)
Stop toiling and doing and producing for the food that perishes and decomposes [in the using], but strive and work and produce rather for the [lasting] food which endures [continually] unto life eternal; the Son of Man will give (furnish) you that, for God the Father has authorized and certified Him and put His seal of endorsement upon Him.
They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God requires?]
Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].
John 6:35 (Amplified Bible)
Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time).
John 6:40 (Amplified Bible)
For this is My Father’s will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day.
Acts 13:39 (Amplified Bible)
And that through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and devotes himself to Him] is absolved (cleared and freed) from every charge from which he could not be justified and freed by the Law of Moses and given right standing with God.
Acts 15:7-9 (Amplified Bible)
And after there had been a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, Brethren, you know that quite a while ago God made a choice or selection from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] and believe (credit and place their confidence in it).
And God, Who is acquainted with and understands the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit as He also did to us;
And He made no difference between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith (by a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God).
Acts 16:31 (Amplified Bible)
And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.
Romans 3:22-26 (Amplified Bible)
Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction,
Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.
[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.
It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has [true] faith in Jesus.
Romans 4:5 (Amplified Bible)
But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God).
Romans 4:16 (Amplified Bible)
Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.
I was glad that we're not sons of Moses but of Abraham, for Moses represents the Law, but Abraham represents faith.
John 1:17 (Amplified Bible)
For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:3 (Amplified Bible)
For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed in (trusted in) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God).
Romans 10:9-10 (Amplified Bible)
Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.
How do we activate our faith? With the use of our mouth, we say what we believe in.
Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified Bible)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].
Galatians 3:14 (Amplified Bible)
To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit.
We received via faith. We activate all GOD'S promises in our lives by faith.
Galatians 3:22 (Amplified Bible)
But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him].
1 John 5:10-12 (Amplified Bible)
He who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] has the testimony [possesses this divine attestation] within himself. He who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him out to be and represented Him as a liar, because he has not believed (put his faith in, adhered to, and relied on) the evidence (the testimony) that God has borne regarding His Son.
And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life.
There's only 1 sin that can bring us to hell. The sin of unbelief in JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR.
John 3:18 (Amplified Bible)
He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation—he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.]
Mark 16:16 (Amplified Bible)
He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned.
GOD will not judge us based on our works, meaning, GOD will not say, "Well, while you're in earth you are a drunkard, gambler, killer, rapist or a sinner, you will go to hell!" If that is the condition, then all of us will go to hell. But in heaven, GOD'S judgement will be like "Well, you ought to die in your sins, but my SON saved you, do you believe in my SON?" If we believed in the LORD JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOR and has given our lives to Him, so therefore what our heart believes in, comes a reality in our lives, because our lives are changed then, we will go to heaven.
B. Salvation is GOD'S gift to mankind.
"And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; "
Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified Bible)
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Ephesians 1:19 (Amplified Bible)
And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,
There's greatness of power of the LORD JESUS the Living GOD, that dwells in me and for me who believe, as being demonstrated in the working of His Mighty Strength.
Matthew 16:17 (Amplified Bible)
Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.
Know the LORD JESUS more, in knowing Him, use the bible as our official and only reference of who JESUS is, His Power and His Wisdom in our lives, as we know that the LORD JESUS is the Giver and He is also the Gift, that works in us for our own good.
John 1:12-13 (Amplified Bible)
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—
Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]
All people are creation of GOD, but not all people are sons of GOD. You are mistakenly however sincere you are in calling yourself as son of GOD, you have to be born again, sonship have to be granted, it carries authority with it. It has to be granted by the FATHER GOD to those who will only accept the LORD JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR.
John 6:37 (Amplified Bible)
All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].
John 6:44 (Amplified Bible)
No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day.
The FATHER GOD is the One that attracts us to the SON, there's no one else, only the FATHER GOD will draw us to JESUS if we are intended to be saved here on earth. And we will be resurrected like the LORD JESUS.
John 6:65 (Amplified Bible)
And He said, This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted him [unless he is enabled to do so] by the Father.
This is enablement from the FATHER GOD. I was glad because I was part of this, I received the LORD like 32 years ago and still it's fresh as it is like it just happened yesterday. I am full of the love of GOD that brought me where I am now right at the feet of JESUS.
Acts 14:27 (Amplified Bible)
Arriving there, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had accomplished with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith [in Jesus as the Messiah, through Whom we obtain salvation in the kingdom of God].
IX. CONCLUSION:
Praise, worship, glorify, adore, bless, honor, acknowledge and thank You very much LORD JESUS for Your Grace that saved, and enabled me to come to the FATHER, this is 100% not from any human or me, but it's 100$ divine in it's nature, and it is GOD's gift to me.
