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Grace: The Final Word Series

Contributed by John Knight on Feb 9, 2003 (message contributor)

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Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Denomination: Holiness

Summary: It’s all about Grace!

"Holiness: Heresy & Heritage"

"Grace: The Final Word"

"And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:1-10 (RSV)

Introduction: As much as Holiness warrants dialogue on legalism, more so does it warrant dialogue on grace.

Grace is simply defined as "unmerited favor". That which has not been earned; undeserving.

And nobody speaks better of grace than Paul, save Christ himself.

Paul who was a Pharisee of Pharisees. A legalist of legalists. Nothing satisfied Paul more than to realize he had "earned", though deep discipline, the right to be with God. There was no mountain to big, no valley too deep, no ocean too vast that Paul would not conquer in the name of self-righteousness and service to the Law.

And yet for all his endeavors, for every discipline he had mastered, Paul casts it away as refuse.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith." Philippians 3:7-9 (RSV)

What would cause a man to abandon all he believed in, all he ever knew, all he had ever hoped in and dreamed of?

Grace. Free, unmerited, unending grace.

Dead In Sin

In fact so overwhelmed is he by grace that he counts his life as nothing more than death.

"I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; the very commandment which promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and by it killed me...Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Romans 7:9-11,24 (RSV)

Paul was an animated dead person-a zombie.

[Night of the Living Dead]

He was the living dead.

Paul tells us that not only was he in this state, but that we were in this state as well.

vss1-2 "And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world"

And not only us, but the whole of humanity.

vs 3 "Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."

I’ve never really felt dead. I may have looked dead; especially early in the morning. And yet Paul tells me I was dead.

Dead. The cessation of life. To cease all activity.

How could I have been dead? Especially when I feel so much alive. And those girls in the beer commercials they don’t look very dead. The guy out there windsurfing on the bay doesn’t seem to be very dead.

And yet Paul informs us there are two choices in life: 1. Dead in sin, or 2) alive in Christ. Two choices. We decide. (Hell, or Holiness).

Genesis 1 tells us all life comes from God. He created the sun and moon, the stars, the earth, plants and animals. All of it; everything. Not a single thing exists that God did not create. And at the height of creation God created you and me.

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:26-27 (RSV)

All life comes from God. The problem is when I don’t live in right relation to God. When I turn from God I am cutting myself off from life itself. Paul says we do this by "following the desires of body and mind" When I exert myself over my creator I am saying, "God I don’t want you, I don’t need you, and I don’t want the life you have to offer."

The problem is that once we’ve chosen our own path, we can’t turn back. It was an all or nothing decision, and we chose to lose it all. Once dead, we’re dead.

Have you ever seen a lifeless creature resurrect itself? It can’t happen. The only way life can return to the lifeless is by a touch from the life giver. The only way resurrection can occur is by direct intervention of God.

And yet Paul says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus"

This same power which has raised Christ from the Grave has been given to us that we too might experience newness of life.

To experience this newness we must first realize our state of lifelessness.

Death to Life

There is a misperception by some that say crime/ sin is committed by people acting irrationally. If only we educate them.

[My argument with Ronica]

Not entirely her fault; she was arguing from her perspective as an educator. You might say, "Well preacher you’re just arguing from your perspective." No I’m arguing from the word of God; which is able to change the very depths of the soul. If we educate them, we just make a very educated criminal-we haven’t reached to the depths of their soul.

The bible is the living word of God. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 RSV)

Even in our Wesleyan-Arminian Evangelical Holiness tradition too often we fall into the trap of believing that if only we follow the "rules"; as long as we live the "Law", even the "Law of Love", then we are OK.

And yet Paul says to this "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God." (vs 8)

I don’t make myself Holy -living the "Law" doesn’t make me Holy -following the general and special rules of the Church of the Nazarene doesn’t make me Holy. Only God can make me Holy.

It takes effort. It takes endeavor. "For by grace you have been saved through faith." A gift is useless unless it is accepted.

Do I have to get my life right to receive it? No Do I have to get right with God after I receive it? No.

The Gift of God is what makes me right. I did not earn it; I can not earn it. I can only choose to accept it or reject it. It does not come with stipulations or it would not be a gift.

I am made right with God because of the free Gift of Jesus Christ.

What about the rules and regulations? "Faith without works is dead" We are taught that "good" people are the ones who follow the rules. A "good" student doesn’t rebel against the established order of things. They follow the rules. I know, because I wasn’t a very good student. A "good" worker is one who aligns themself with the purpose of the company. A "good" citizen upholds the law.

Paul says in Romans 3:28, "For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law." (Romans 3:28 RSV)

Of what use is a law to those who live the intent of a law without a law?

May sound confusing

It’s this. What good does it do to have a rule if everybody is already doing that thing?

Marriage. Do I need a rule that tells me I must say I love you to my wife at least three times a day? Do I need a rule that dictates I grant physical affection to my wife at least fifteen minutes a day? I don’t need rules to tell me to do these things. I do them out of love. I don’t need to be told to say, "I love you." It just comes out. I’m not even sure I consciously think about it. I am so moved.

My wife is thinking, "If you really love me you’d cook me lunch and clean the dishes. Maybe we’ll just save that for Mother’s Day when we normally go out to eat anyway. "Love unexpressed is no love at all!" "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17;26)

Expression of (our) love (for God) is necessary, but it does not determine the sanctity of the relationship. I am not holy because I woke up and said a prayer this morning. I am not sanctified because I did my bible study this week. I’m not even holy because I’m standing here preaching to you. I’m holy because God has made me holy.

vss 4-7

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound!

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

[John Newton 1725-1807]

We sing it

Amazing Obedience! How sweet the sound!

I saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, the Law I found;

Now you should be like me.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." I Corinthians 13:1-3 (RSV)

"but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." I John 1:7 (RSV)

What can wash away my sin?

A good sermon?, No. A great revival, an old fashioned rowdy camp meeting revival?, No. Praying every day?, No. Reading my bible every day?, No.

What can wash away my sin?