The Rescue: Alive By Grace Series

Introduction

Last week, we ended our time together in a very dark place. We used the analogy of a shipwreck, leaving us spiritually dead, floating helplessly in a sea of sin, captive to the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil, with our certain destination being the just wrath of God. There was absolutely no hope. We were lost at sea.

But today, we come to the most dramatic and hopeful turning point in all of Scripture. It’s the moment the rescue helicopter appears on the horizon. It’s the sound of hope breaking through the despair. Paul writes two simple words that change everything, not just for humanity, but for you and me personally. He says, “But God...” In these two words, the entire story pivots from the graveyard to glory, from our desperate condition to God’s divine intervention.

I. The Divine Motivation: Mercy and Love (v. 4)

The rescue did not begin because we sent out a distress signal or because we were good enough to deserve it. We were dead. The rescue began entirely because of the character of the Rescuer.

A. Rich in Mercy

Paul says God is "rich in mercy." Mercy is God's tender compassion toward us in our miserable, helpless state. It is Him looking at us in our shipwrecked condition and choosing not to give us the just punishment we deserve. And notice, He isn't just merciful; He is rich in it. His supply is infinite. You can never out-sin the riches of His mercy.

B. Great in Love

But God doesn't just withhold punishment. He actively gives us good things we don't deserve because of "his great love wherewith he loved us." Love is the engine of our salvation. It was God's profound, initiating love for us, even while we were His enemies, that motivated Him to act. Our entire salvation story is a love story, authored by God.

II. The Divine Miracle: Alive, Raised, and Seated (vv. 5-7)

Because of His mercy and love, God performed a three-part miracle, uniting us so completely with Jesus that everything that happened to Him also happened to us spiritually.

A. Made Alive with Christ

Paul says, "Even when we were dead in sins, [He] hath quickened us together with Christ." "Quickened" is the old word for "made alive." This is spiritual resurrection. God reached down into our watery grave, and by uniting us to the resurrected Christ, He breathed His life into our dead souls. Our new life is not an improved version of our old life; it is the very resurrection life of Jesus given to us.

B. Raised and Seated with Christ

But He didn't just leave us alive on the shore. He "hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." He lifted us out of our old life and gave us a new position and a new identity. Right now, spiritually, every believer is seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. This is a position of finished victory, absolute security, and shared authority with our King. Our spiritual address has changed from the bottom of the ocean to the throne room of the universe.

C. Displayed for Eternity

Why did God do all this? He tells us in verse 7: "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace." God saved us to make us eternal trophies of His goodness. For all of eternity, our stories of rescue will be the masterpieces in God's art gallery, put on display for all of creation to see just how incredibly kind and gracious our God is. Your life is an eternal exhibit of His glory.

3. The Divine Method: Grace, Not Works (vv. 8-10)

Paul now summarizes this great salvation to make sure we understand exactly how we received it.

A. Saved by Grace Through Faith

Verse 8 is the heart of the gospel: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Grace is the source—it is God's unmerited favor. Faith is the channel—it is the empty hand we hold out to receive His gift. Our faith doesn't earn our salvation; it simply receives the salvation that grace offers. The entire package—grace and the faith to receive it—is a free gift.

B. Not of Works

Paul immediately adds the negative clarification: "Not of works, lest any man should boast" (v. 9). Salvation cannot be earned through religious rituals, good deeds, or moral effort. If it could, we would have something to be proud of. But God designed salvation in a way that eliminates all human boasting, so that He alone gets all the glory.

C. His Workmanship, for Good Works

This doesn't mean works are unimportant. Verse 10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." The word for "workmanship" is poiema, where we get our word "poem" or "masterpiece." We are God's new creation. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. These are not works we invent, but works "which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." He saved us, and He has already prepared a beautiful, meaningful path of service for us to walk in.