"Sin-Salvation,& Service" Series

SIN-SALVATION, & SERVICE

(a message about God’s Amazing Grace)

Text-Ephesians 2:8-10

by Rev. Danny Moss

Introduction-

In my opinion, this is the Golden Text that

tells us what we need to know about God’s Amazing

Grace. It tells us-

-why men desperately need God’s grace

-how God’s grace is obtained, and

-the purpose of God in bestowing grace

upon undeserving sinners

Let’s tackle these issues one at a time, and let

God speak to our hearts concering His Amazing Grace.

I. First, WHY MEN DESPERATELY NEED GOD’S GRACE

Everyone needs God’s grace; indeed, everyone must

have God’s grace,or perish eternally and be separ-

ated from all that is good, and holy.

We stand in need of God’s grace because we are all

sinners, sinners by nature, and sinners by choice.

Man’s nature has not basically changed from what

it has been since the Fall, when Adam & Eve chose

to disobey God in the Garden of Eden.

Read your daily newspaper. Since long, long ago,

men have murdered, stolen, lied, cheated, hated,

abused, exploited, and enslaved other human beings,

made in the image of God. All the scientific ad-

vances that we have made, all the discoveries that

have been made in medicine, and psychology, and

every other field have done little to nothing to

make man more considerate of others, more inter-

ested in serving than in obtaining wealth and

power, and more compassionate for those less for-

tunate. We are still sinners.

The Bible says that "the wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal life, through

Jesus Christ, our Lord." Man’s destiny apart from

God’s grace and forgiveness is Death, both physical,

and spiritual-in Hell, a place of everlasting shame

and punishment." Yes, Virginia, there is a Hell!

Many who deny its existence will know its reality

all too well someday. Flee from the wrath to come!

That is the Bibical mandate, and that is God’s

grace, anc mercy.

We are all descendents of Adam, members of a con-

demned race, for we all have corrupt hearts,

deceitful hearts, incapable of helping ourselves

out of our own dilemma. But, praise God!, that is

where His grace comes in.

II. Secondly, LET’S CONSIDER SALVATION

There are really only two main ways of looking at

how men are saved. Either it is by what man does,

or, it is by the grace of God-apart and seperate

from human merit.

Many professing Christians believe in salvation

by works, that they have to do so much more good

than evil, or achieve so much more goodness than

wickedness by their works to earn salvation-go to

church, say prayers, do deeds of kindness, sacri-

fice some great thing-then, and only then, they

think, will they obligate God to take them into

Heaven. Such foolishess!!! That is not the

grace of God. Grace is what God does for us that

we cannot do for ourselves. If the death of Jesus

was not necessary to save us, if we could be good

enough, or do enough to earn our way into God’s

Heaven, then He died in vain. BUT, IN REALITY,

OUR ONLY HOPE IS THE GRACE OF GOD, AND THE SHED

BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THAT CLEANSES US

FROM ALL SIN-freely, and eternally.

Salvation is of the Lord. It is not of him that

willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God, who

showeth mercy.

III. Thirdly, Let’s look at SERVICE.

These verses also tell us why we are saved, and

made recepients of God’s mercy. WE ARE SAVED TO

SERVE, that in the ages to come God might receive

all glory and praise for His goodness to us in

giving His Son to die on our behalf, on the cross.

We are not saved by works, but we are saved FOR

GOOD WORKS. As a matter of fact, this text re-

veals that God, even before the foundation of

the world, had a wonderful plan for your life and

mine, a plan that would redeem us, and glorify

Him. God made no mistakes. He left nothing

undone. He has a flawless MasterPlan.

To His be glory now and forever. Amen.

Invitation-As we read in these verses, we are

sinners saved by grace for service, saved by

grace through faith. Faith is not something

inately in man. It is the gift of God.

By faith, given to you by God, look to Christ

alone, now to save you, and you will be saved.