Tonight- I would like to look at 4 of the most beautiful words in the Bible and they all are found in the communion service.
Ephesians 2:8-9—by grace are ye saved
Grace—getting what you don’t deserve—grace is God bestowing on us something we should not have received, salvation. We didn’t do anything to earn it, we can’t offer anything for it, it is God inspired and God given, God gave His son.
There is no other word for grace, but amazing.
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Grace isn’t waiting for us to get right with God, grace is God getting us right with Him.
Mercy—he delights in mercy—Micah 7:18—mercy is not getting what we deserve. If you understand mercy, it is almost as amazing as grace.
Grace is getting what we don’t deserve, mercy is not getting what we do deserve.
We deserve punishment, we deserve the wrath of God, we deserve separation from God, but by his stripes we are healed.
Song—mercy rewrote my life—God rewrites our lives—though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Forgiveness—Colossians 1:14—even the forgiveness of sin
Forgiveness –is God forgetting something that He could remember. God forgives us, and forgets our sins.
Our sins are blotted out, our sins are forgiven, to be remembered no more.
The psalmist says: he removes our transgressions from us, as far as the east is from the west.
Paul writes- in Romans 8:1—there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Redemption—Psalms 103:4-who redeems our lives from destruction.
Getting something back that was taken away.
The devil stole everything away from man in the garden, we were lost, we were separated from God, we had lost all our value, but through Christ redeeming us, he bought us out of slavery, he placed value back on our lives.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so—we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We have our place back in Christ,
Let us boldly approach the throne of grace, that we may obtain grace and receive mercy to help in our time of need.
Close: tonight in communion—there is grace, there is mercy, there is forgiveness and there is redemption.
Let God give you all these things through the precious blood of the Lamb.
