Grace Gospel: Amazing Grace

It is not performance, but position

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it  is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV

Are you amazed with God’s grace ?

What is Grace?

  • Grace is about Receiving what we do not deserve
  • Grace is Different from mercy, mercy is not receiving the punishments we deserve
  • The opposite of grace is being legalistic

 

What makes a righteous man?

  • Is it by performance or position?
  • Is he righteous because he lives righteously (performance)
  • Does he live righteously because he is righteous (position)
  • Righteousness cannot be based on performance, a good person can do bad deeds and a bad person can do good deeds
  • We can never reach God’s standard of righteousness because He is perfect

 

Roadmap – Grace is so amazing because…

  1. We don’t deserve a Saviour – yet by His grace He loves us
  2. We don’t deserve Salvation – yet by His grace He saves us
  3. We don’t deserve Sanctification – yet by His grace He partners us

 

1. We don’t deserve a Savior

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6 NKJV

We do not deserve a Savior because we are all filthy rags, but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

For He made Him who knew no sin to  be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him II Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

God took all our filthy rags and put it on His son Jesus, and took Jesus righteousness to put on us, so that we may live, and Jesus has to die.

 

This is the amazing grace of GOD

 

2. We don’t deserve Salvation

Salvation is a gift from God.

If you offer to pay for the gifts you received, the gift is then no longer a gift. Sometimes when we receive Salvation from God, we ask God how much do we need to pay. Because we are all brought up with the idea that everything has a price to pay, sometimes when we think that all we need to do is to believe, we feel that it is not good enough.

 

And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it  is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. Romans 11:6 NKJV

 

We are not saved by our work. We are saved by God’s grace through our faith to do God’s works.

 

Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:28–29 NKJV

 

3. We don’t deserve Sanctification

Sanctification means to set apart a special group of people to partner with God to do good works.

Your position, not performance, will determine whether you will get to heaven or not.

 

Application

  • Cease striving and rest in His grace