Sermon Central
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Saved By Grace!
Contributed by Mitchell Skelton on Jun 10, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: Believe it or not, Jesus never said Grace! It was used of Him, but never by Him. Don’t misunderstand; He taught it, He lived it; He just never said it. One of the places he taught it was in Luke 7:36–50.
Saved by Grace
Ephesians 2:8–10; Luke 7:41–42
INTRODUCTION
• Believe it or not, Jesus never said Grace!
• It was used of Him, but never by Him.
• Don’t misunderstand; He taught it, He lived it; He just never said it.
• One of the places he taught it was in Luke 7:36–50.
Read Eph. 2:8–10
MAIN BODY
I. SALVATION IS FREE.
A. “By Grace you have been saved:
1. The two debtors of Luke 7 didn’t earn their freedom. It was purely a gracious act on the creditors part.
2. Illustration: Donald Barnhouse said, “Love that goes upward is worship, love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace.”
B. “Not of yourselves”
1. Forgiveness is not for man to purchase or earn.
2. Like the two in the parable, we are bankrupt.
C. “It is the gift of God”
1. We cannot make salvation works centered and man centered.
2. Salvation is Grace centered and God centered.
3. There is no “do it yourself and get the glory.”
4. The emphasis is on what God does for us not what we do for God.
5. Illustration: When David Lipscomb was an “old man on campus,” a student asked, “Upon what do you base your hope of salvation?” Without hesitation he said, “Upon the Grace of God.”
II. SALVATION IS COSTLY.
A. The creditor in our parable took a loss.
B. Remember, “salvation is a gift of God,” a gift that cost him dearly.
C. Salvation is free to us, but it was not cheap to him.
III. SALVATION IS CONDITIONAL
A. What, if anything, can we do?
1. Illustration: A boy once asked a preacher, “Sir, what can I do to be saved?” The preacher replied, “Son, you’re too late.” “What! I’m too late to be saved?” “No, you’re too late to do anything. Jesus already did it 2,000 years ago.”
2. It’s strange that Peter didn’t know that. (Acts 2:37–38)
a. He did not reply, “There is nothing for you to do, Jesus already did it 50 days ago.”
b. His reply was Acts 2:38 & 40, “ Save yourselves”
c. Not in earning salvation but in simply meeting God’s terms.
CONCLUSION
Illustration: God’s forgiveness is not automatic; we can reject grace. In 1830, George Wilson was arrested for mail theft and sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson eventually gave him a pardon, but he refused to accept it. The authorities were puzzled; should Wilson be freed or hanged? They consulted Chief Justice John Marshall, who handed down this decision: “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.”
Illustration told by Warren Weirsbe
