Introduction

Good morning, family! Today, we're diving deep into a truth that has the power to transform our lives and our understanding of who we are in Christ. We'll be exploring the Doctrine of Grace, God's unmerited favor that has been freely given to us, our redemption through Christ, and our new identity in Him.

As Max Lucado so eloquently put it, "Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off."

Our primary text for today's sermon is Ephesians 2:1-10. It says:

"And you were dead in 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 whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so 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 a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Let's bow our heads in prayer.

God's Unmerited Favor

The Doctrine of Grace, or God's unmerited favor, is the cornerstone of our understanding of God's love for us and our relationship with Him.

The concept of 'unmerited favor': Unmerited favor means that we receive something good, not because we have earned it or deserve it, but simply because it is freely given to us. This is the essence of grace. It is God's unmerited favor towards us, His children. We did not earn His love or His salvation. We did not do anything to deserve it. Yet, He freely gives it to us out of His boundless love and mercy.

Grace in Christian faith: Grace is God's unmerited favor in the form of salvation through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." This verse makes it clear that our salvation is not something we can earn or achieve on our own. It is a gift from God, given to us freely and without any merit on our part.

A radical and counter-cultural concept: In a world that often operates on the principle of meritocracy, where we are rewarded for our achievements and punished for our failures, the idea of receiving something as significant as salvation without earning it is revolutionary. It challenges our human tendency to want to earn our way and to prove our worth through our actions.

Based on our identity: It is a reminder that our worth is not based on what we do or achieve, but on who we are in Christ. It is a reminder that God's love for us is not contingent on our performance or our goodness, but on His unchanging character and His unfathomable love for us.

The depth of our need for God: We are, as Ephesians 2:1 describes, "dead in our trespasses and sins." We are incapable of saving ourselves or earning our way to God. We are utterly dependent on His grace for our salvation. This is humbling, but it is also liberating. It frees us from the burden of trying to earn God's love or prove our worth. It allows us to rest in His love and grace, knowing that we are accepted and loved just as we are.

Our Redemption Through Christ

Our redemption through Christ is the understanding that we, as humans, are inherently sinful and incapable of saving ourselves from the consequences of our sin ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO