Sermon: December 9, 2001
Title: The Gift Of God – Part III
Text: Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Introduction:
There is so much that can be said or written about this glorious gift come down from heaven. John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. This is the theme of many a song. If not for this gift, there would be nothing to sing about.
It is the gift of God that makes life worth living and it is He that puts the song of joy in our souls.
Illustration:
He Keeps Me Singing - music by Luther B. Bridgers
Bridgers wrote this hymn after a tragic fire killed his wife and three sons.
There’s within my heart a melody Jesus whispers sweet and low: Fear not I am
with thee, peace be still, In all of life’s ebb and flow.
Chorus: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know, Fills my every longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife, Discord filled my heart with pain, Jesus
swept across the broken strings, Stirred the slumbring chords again.
Feasting on the riches of His grace, Resting neath His sheltering wing, Always
looking on His smiling face, That is why I shout and sing.
Though sometimes He leads through waters deep, Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep, See His footprints all the
way.
Soon He’s coming back to welcome me Far beyond the starry sky; I shall wing
my flight to worlds unknown, I shall reign with Him on high.
Last week, we talked about this indescribable gift of God being unending in its availability, unequaled in its cost, unmistakable in its claims, and unparalleled in its influence.
This gift of God to a lost and dying world is a gift that will keep on giving. The usefulness of this gift will never be exhausted. This is a gift good for whosoever will accept it. This is a gift good every day of life and most precious in the time of death. This is a gift that no one should ever be without. Even though there is an abundant supply, there are many who refuse God’s gift of love.
Today, we want to understand that this most precious gift of God is unmerited by those who receive it, unobstructed by many who deny it, unlimited in its benefits, unobtainable but by faith, and unstoppable in its power to save.
I. The Gift Of God Is Unmerited By Its Recipients.
Ephesians 2:8 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 should boast.
~A. Salvation is not merited, it is a GIFT of God!
~~1. The word for "GRACE" (in the Greek) is "Charis."
~~2. The word for "GIFT" (in the Greek) is "Charisma." (The very root meaning of the word
GRACE is GIFT.
Illustration: A Definition GRACE IS EVERYTHING FOR NOTHING TO THOSE WHO DON’T DESERVE ANYTHING Our Daily Bread, Sept.-Nov. 1997, page for October 31
~B. Salvation is God responding to man’s greatest need - sin.
Illustration:
If we had needed information, God would have sent a teacher. If we had needed technology, God
would have sent a scientist. If we had needed knowledge, God would have sent a philosopher. If we
had needed money, God would have sent a philanthropist. If we had needed pleasure, God would
have sent an entertainer. But we needed salvation, and God sent a Savior, and His name is Jesus.
~~1. He gave the greatest Person, Jesus Christ.
~~2. He make the greatest sacrifice.
~~3. He gave us the greatest gift - eternal life.
~C. Salvation is God’s promise of eternal life.
~~1. Sin is what keeps us from God and an eternity with him. Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God.”
~~2. The wages for our sin is death. Romans 6:23 “…the gift of God is eternal life, through Christ Jesus
our Lord (Romans 6:23). But like any gift, you have to receive it.
~~3. Sin is a debt against God. Mt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Salvation means that we are delivered from that debt and will not be cast into the debtor’s prison,
that is, eternal hell. By Salvation we are made pure and righteous in the sight of our holy God.
~~4. Salvation was purchased by the Lord Jesus with His precious blood on the cross.
~~~a. Sin must be punished or God would contradict His holiness.
~~~b. Sin will be pardoned in Christ or punished in hell.
Illustration: In Our Place
“Although out of pure grace God does not impute our sins to us, He nonetheless did not want to do
this until complete and ample satisfaction of His law and His righteousness had been made. Since this
was impossible for us, God ordained for us, in our place, One who took upon Himself all the
punishment we deserve.
“He fulfilled the law for us. He averted the judgement of God from us and appeased God’s wrath.
Grace, therefore, costs us nothing, but is cost Another much to get it for us. Grace was purchased
with an incalculable, infinite treasure, the Son of God Himself.”
Martin Luther, Daily Walk, May 5, 1992
II The Gift Of God Is Unobstructed By Those Who Deny It.
2Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
~A. Satan abhors the gift and tried to stop it from being given by God.
~~1. He moved in the heart of Cain to kill Abel (God had promised that the Messiah would come through the seed of the woman. Gen. 3:15)
~~2. He moved in the heart of Pharaoh in Moses’ day to kill the one who would deliver the family of God out of bondage. (It was through this family that the gift was to come.)
~~3. He moved in the heart of Herod to kill all the male children. (The wise men told him that a king had been born.)
~~4. He move to draw Jesus away from the divine plan of God in the temptation. (He thought that by the temptation of Christ, he could ruin the divine plan of redemption.)
~~5. He moved in the hearts of the Jewish religious leaders, Judas, Pilate and others to kill Jesus. (Little did he know that he was helping fulfill the plan of salvation for a lost and dying world.)
Illustration: Satan’s Power is Permitted
Lest we be “terrified by our adversaries,” it is well to remember that Satan’s power is not inherent
but permitted (Rom. 13:1). It is not unlimited, but controlled (Job 1:12; 2:6). It is not invincible, but
broken (Luke 11:21-11). It is not assured of success, but is surely doomed (Rev. 20:2-3). Satan
knows well that there is no ultimate victory for him. The pronounced sentence has only been
postponed. But he works to hinder and postpone Christ’s final triumph. We can rejoice in the
certainty of John’s assurance: “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4).
J. Oswald Sanders, Cultivation of Christian Character, (Moody Press, Chicago; 1965), p. 86
~B. The unbelieving world despises the gift of God.
In the book of Romans, Paul speaks of those who are haters of God. Romans 1:30 Backbiters, haters
of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Illustration: Strategies of Satan with Unbelievers
1. Blinding the minds of the unregenerate (2 Cor. 4:4).
2. Snatching away the good seed of the word (Matthew 13:19).
3. Lulling the unbeliever into a false sense of security (Luke 11:21).
4. Laying snares for the unwary (2 Timothy 2:25-26).
5. Masquerading as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:13-14).
6. Deceiving those whose minds are not subject to the Word of truth (Rev. 12:9).
7. Mixing truth with error (Matthew 13:25-8).
Satan is No Myth, J. O. Sanders, Moody, 1975, pp. 72ff
~~1. There those who deny His Existence
Psalms 53:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
~~2. There are those who deny His Truth.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
~~2. There are those who deny His Deity
1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
Illustration Belief Declining
“In 1963…65 percent of Americans said they believed in the absolute truth of all words in the Bible.
Within 15 years, by 1978, the proportion of the population holding this belief had declined to 38
percent. The current figure of 32 percent represents a new low in literal belief in the Bible” (PRRC
Emerging Trends (January 1992):1). The same thing has happened in England. The proportion of
people who believe in a personal God has declined from 36 percent in 1981 to 31 percent today.
Those who believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God has fallen from 52 percent in 1981 to 48
percent today (International Christian Digest (July/August 1992)).
The Body, Charles W. Colson, 1992, Word Publishing, p. 336
~C. Disbelief will bring the judgment of God.
Ps 78:22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
Psalms 78 tells about the children of Israel in the wilderness speaking against God after He had miraculously provided water out of the smitten rock. They ask, can God provide a table in the wilderness? Can He provide bread? Can God provide flesh for His people to eat? Disbelief brought the judgment of God on the Israelites and it will bring judgment on the world.
III. The Gift Of God Is Unlimited In Its Benefits
Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
Selah.
~A. Unfailing love
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
~B. Unlimited Forgiveness of sin
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
~C. Absolute righteousness
Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
~D. Presence and power of the Holy Spirit
Ephesian 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
~E. A new creature with the nature of God
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
~F. Undisputed member of God’s family
Galatians 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
IV. The Gift Of God Is Unobtainable By Our Own Merit.
Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Salvation is not something we achieve, but something we receive! - Anon
~A. Our just rewards would have sent our souls to Hell.
Note: If we had receivedour just reward, we would be in Hell.
Illustration:
The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man was the idea
that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all-holy God. -
Martin Luther
~B. Salvation must be received by accepting God’s gift by faith.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
~~1. This salvation is revealed to all.
Luke 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
~~2. God will save all that will come to Him by faith.
1Thess. 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
~~3. God cannot save those who reject Him.
Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Illustration: Gypsy Smith
Rodney “Gypsy” Smith trusted Christ in November, 1876. Reaffirmed his decision a few days later
in a Methodist chapel. An old man asked if he had trusted Jesus and nothing else.
The lad replied, “I cannot trust myself, for I am nothing. I cannot trust what I have, for I have
nothing. I cannot trust what I know, for I know nothing.” - Family Journal, May, 1985
~C. Salvation can never be earned by doing good works.
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The fact is, you cannot earn it. Since we are all sinners, there is nothing that we can do to gain God’s
favor. Even if you did good works continuously from here on out, and sacrificed all your time to help
others, and did great and wonderful things 24 hours a day for the rest of your life to please God, God
still would not accept you or your efforts because He is Holy and you are still a sinner. You cannot
work off your sins.
V. The Gift Of God Is Unstoppable In Its Power To Save.
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
~A. God’s plan to save could not be stopped.
2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
~~1. The Devil tried to thwart this divine plan
~~2. The Devil tries to blind mankind
~B. God’s provision for salvation cannot be stopped.
Note: The Devil tried unsuccessfully a number of times to stop God’s provision of salvation through Jesus Christ.
~~1. It cannot be altered
~~2. It cannot be eliminated
~~3. It cannot be ignored.
~C. God’s power to save cannot be stopped.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
~~1. We must accept by it by faith
~~2. We should accept it today, without delay.
Conclusion:
If the world knew the gift of God, every church building would be filled to capacity seven days a week. You would never have to beg and plead with people to come to the house of the Lord.
If the church knew the gift of God, we wouldn’t be so shy about sharing this gift with the world? We would be bold and joyful in our evangelism. We would literally radiate the joy of Jesus and live in constant praise and worship of the gift giver.
If only every Christian had the desire to know Christ like Paul when he said in Phillipians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Do you have a sincere desire to know Christ in this way. Or are we afraid to get close to Christ for fear that He will require more of us than we are willing to give. Think about it, God gave the very best that you could have eternal life. We should surrender ourselves to Him.
