BACKGROUND:
This result of sin is not just physical death—everyone dies physically, believers and nonbelievers alike. This refers to eternal separation from God in hell. This is the wage that a person receives for his or her rebellion against God. Those in hell will find no comfort in the truth that they have been paid exactly what they earned.
But instead of wages, those who believe receive a free gift from God—eternal life. Eternal life does not mean endless life on earth, but resurrection from death to eternal glory with God. Because eternal life is a gift, we cannot earn or purchase it. It would be foolish for someone to offer to pay for a gift given out of love. To be a gift, it must be given and received freely. A more appropriate response to a loved one who offers a gift is grateful acceptance.
Our salvation is a gift of God, not something of our own doing (Ephesians 2:8-9). He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any righteous acts on our part (Titus 3:5). How much more we should accept with thanksgiving the gift that God has freely given to us.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
Understanding the concept of grace is critical if you want to build a great life. As we get started today, let me ask you to complete these common American phrases: If it sounds too good to be true…. It is. We make money the old fashioned way, we … earn it. There’s no such thing as a free… lunch. There is no gain without … pain. God helps those who … help themselves.
You see, everything about the American way of life teaches you get what you earn in life. You get what you pay for. We value work, sweat, effort, performance. It is called the American Work Ethic. And it’s good. The only problem is it causes a difficulty in us relating to God because God does not relate to us on performance. We put God in a box. We think He is like us. We think that since so many of our relationships are based on performance, so must my relationship with God. WRONG!
How does God relate to us then? By GRACE - in a relationship through His son Jesus Christ! The Bible says that everything God does in our lives, every blessing we have in our lives, comes by grace as a free gift. You don’t earn it, you don’t deserve it, you don’t work for it. It’s just a free gift of God. And the Bible says that everything you enjoy in your life is a gift of grace.
I know what some of you are thinking: You say, “Wait a minute. The things I have, I worked for, I earned, I put sweat equity into it.” You wouldn’t have the effort to work, you wouldn’t have the brains to work, you wouldn’t have the energy to work if God didn’t give it to you. Every breath you take is a gift from God!
The Bible is very clear about this, that God saves us by grace, God blesses us by grace, God teaches us by grace, God uses us by grace, God takes us to heaven by grace. Everything in my life that’s good is a gift from God.
The power to live, the people you live with, the principles you live by and the purpose you live for – they all come from God. They are a gift from God! That is grace! Many people confuse grace with mercy and they’re two different things.
Mercy is when God doesn’t give you what you deserve. Have you ever done anything wrong and gotten away with it? Yes. You’ve gotten off scott-free on a lot of things that you deserve justice for, that you deserve punishment for. When God doesn’t give you what you deserve that’s called mercy.
On the other hand when God gives what you don’t deserve that’s GRACE. All the good things in your life you didn’t earn, you didn’t work for. They were just gifts of God’s grace to you. I like what 1 Corinthians 15:10 says – it’s our key verse this morning. “Whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out such kindness and grace on me.”
What’s that mean? Everything good that I have in life, everything that I have done that has had merit, it is because of God. Because of His kindness and grace. I did not earn them. I did not deserve them. He gave them to me. GRACE! God gave you, poured out on you – and you didn’t deserve any of it. GRACE! Let’s break down grace some more to really get it.
What is grace? Five things #1 - G – GOD’S GIFT TO ME
It is a total gift of God. If you were to go out and ask ten people, “How do you get to heaven?”, you’d get the same answers most of the time. “Just work real hard and try to do your best… Be nice to people… just try to do good… be sincere. That’s the way most of the world thinks. Most of the world thinks they’re going to get into heaven by being a pretty good person. Most of us think we’re pretty good or good enough to get into heaven but bad enough to be fun. We want to carry those balances.
Here’s the problem. There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell you’re going to make it into heaven on your own effort. No way. You can’t be good enough to go to a perfect place. There’s no way you’re going to ever work, earn or buy your way into heaven. You can’t be that good. It’s not going to happen. The Bible says there’s only one way you’re going to get into heaven. It’s a gift from God. By God’s grace. You could never earn it, you could never learn it, you could never buy it, you could never work your way into it or deserve it or get enough brownie points or credits to get into heaven. There’s no chance you’re going to make it into heaven except by accepting God’s free gift of grace. You can’t be good enough.
This is the fundamental difference between Christianity and every other faith or religion. If you were to study all the other religions of the world (and I have; I’ve studied them all in detail) you could summarize every other religion in one word – “DO”. Because you have to earn your way to God. Depending on the religion, there’s a different list of do’s.
You see, everything about the American way of life teaches you get what you earn in life. You get what you pay for. We value work, sweat, effort, performance. It is called the American Work Ethic. And it’s good. The only problem is it causes a difficulty in us relating to God because God does not relate to us on performance. We put God in a box. We think He is like us. We think that since so many of our relationships are based on performance, so must my relationship with God. WRONG!
How does God relate to us then? By GRACE - in a relationship through His son Jesus Christ! The Bible says that everything God does in our lives, every blessing we have in our lives, comes by grace as a free gift. You don’t earn it, you don’t deserve it, you don’t work for it. It’s just a free gift of God. And the Bible says that everything you enjoy in your life is a gift of grace.
I know what some of you are thinking: You say, “Wait a minute. The things I have, I worked for, I earned, I put sweat equity into it.” You wouldn’t have the effort to work, you wouldn’t have the brains to work, you wouldn’t have the energy to work if God didn’t give it to you. Every breath you take is a gift from God!
The Bible is very clear about this, that God saves us by grace, God blesses us by grace, God teaches us by grace, God uses us by grace, God takes us to heaven by grace. Everything in my life that’s good is a gift from God.
The power to live, the people you live with, the principles you live by and the purpose you live for – they all come from God. They are a gift from God! That is grace! Many people confuse grace with mercy and they’re two different things.
Mercy is when God doesn’t give you what you deserve. Have you ever done anything wrong and gotten away with it? Yes. You’ve gotten off scott-free on a lot of things that you deserve justice for, that you deserve punishment for. When God doesn’t give you what you deserve that’s called mercy.
On the other hand when God gives what you don’t deserve that’s GRACE. All the good things in your life you didn’t earn, you didn’t work for. They were just gifts of God’s grace to you. I like what 1 Corinthians 15:10 says – it’s our key verse this morning. “Whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out such kindness and grace on me.”
What’s that mean? Everything good that I have in life, everything that I have done that has had merit, it is because of God. Because of His kindness and grace. I did not earn them. I did not deserve them. He gave them to me. GRACE! God gave you, poured out on you – and you didn’t deserve any of it. GRACE! Let’s break down grace some more to really get it.
What is grace? Five things #1 - G – GOD’S GIFT TO ME
It is a total gift of God. If you were to go out and ask ten people, “How do you get to heaven?”, you’d get the same answers most of the time. “Just work real hard and try to do your best… Be nice to people… just try to do good… be sincere. That’s the way most of the world thinks. Most of the world thinks they’re going to get into heaven by being a pretty good person. Most of us think we’re pretty good or good enough to get into heaven but bad enough to be fun. We want to carry those balances.
Here’s the problem. There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell you’re going to make it into heaven on your own effort. No way. You can’t be good enough to go to a perfect place. There’s no way you’re going to ever work, earn or buy your way into heaven. You can’t be that good. It’s not going to happen. The Bible says there’s only one way you’re going to get into heaven. It’s a gift from God. By God’s grace. You could never earn it, you could never learn it, you could never buy it, you could never work your way into it or deserve it or get enough brownie points or credits to get into heaven. There’s no chance you’re going to make it into heaven except by accepting God’s free gift of grace. You can’t be good enough.
This is the fundamental difference between Christianity and every other faith or religion. If you were to study all the other religions of the world (and I have; I’ve studied them all in detail) you could summarize every other religion in one word – “DO”. Because you have to earn your way to God. Depending on the religion, there’s a different list of do’s.
The lists differ but every one of them have one thing in common. You have to earn God’s approval, you have to earn God’s credit, you have to earn your way into heaven by doing certain things. That is in stark contrast to what the Bible says. The Bible says the exact opposite. Romans 3:24 says “All of us need to be made right with God. How? By His grace (underline “by His grace”) which is a free gift through Jesus Christ.”
The Bible says that the way you get to know God is to have a relationship with Him, have your sins forgiven and get into heaven is by accepting what’s already been done for you. You accept what Jesus Christ did 2000 years ago on the cross. If you were to summarize Christianity in one word it would be the word “done”. It’s already been done for you. “Do” versus “done”. Jesus did it all. That’s the difference. And it is a free gift to you. You just accept it.
What else is true about grace? #2 - R – RECEIVED BY FAITH
Grace is received by faith. You don’t earn it, you don’t work for it, you don’t deserve it, you don’t do a bunch of things to get God’s grace like “If I take communion I get God’s grace… If I'm baptized I get God’s grace…” NO! Grace is received by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves…” That means even the faith you have is a gift from God. God gives you the faith to believe in Him. Even faith comes from God. “… it is the gift of God not by works so that no one can boast.”
I’ve said this many times, but can you imagine how miserable we would be in heaven if everybody could get there by working for it and earning it? Everybody up there would be bragging. We’d have all these levels of how people got into heaven. The bible says that is not the way it works though. Heaven is a free gift – grace. You don’t get there by earning your way in.
It’s just a free gift. Romans 4:16 says “People receive God’s promise by having faith. This happens so that the promise can be a free gift.” Salvation is not based on my performance. It’s based on God’s promise. It’s not based on my merit. It’s based on God’s mercy. It’s not based on my goodness. It’s based on God’s grace.
The third thing true about grace? A – IT’S AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.
What does that mean? God doesn’t play favorites. Regardless of your status, regardless of your background, regardless of the sins you have committed God loves you. Unconditionally. And God has His grace that’s available for you.
No matter who you are and no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’ve done – God loves you, He wants you to come home to Him. He wants to shower His grace on you. He wants to throw a party for you when you return. It is available to everyone.
Listen to Romans 10:13 - it says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Does that mean ugly people? YES! Beautiful people? YES! Does it mean fat people and skinny people? YES! Does that include tall and short? YES! Does that include dumb people as well as smart people? YES! Does that include rich and poor? YES! Every ethnic background? YES! Does that include people in prison? YES! EVERY ONE!
It means everybody. You can’t understand what it means to have a relationship with God without understanding grace because it’s the only way you can have one. Without it you don’t have any relationship with God. It is the heart of Christianity. It is the heart of following Christ and being a believer. No matter what you’ve done and no matter who you are God’s grace is available to you. God’s free gift of salvation is available to everyone!
The fourth thing true about grace? C – IT COMES THROUGH CHRIST.
That’s the only place it’s available. It comes through Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Acts 15:12 says “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved.” Why through Christ? Why does grace only come through Christ?
Because He’s the one who paid for it. Nobody else has volunteered to pay for your sins. Nobody else has volunteered to pay the price for all the good things you get to have. Grace is free to you and I but it is not cheap because somebody has to pay for it. And it cost Christ His life. That’s how expensive your ticket to heaven was. That’s how expensive paying the penalty for all the sins you’ve done and won’t have to pay for. It cost God His own Son. That’s how much He loves you. Grace is free but it is not cheap because Jesus Christ had to pay for it.
If you went home today and found a gift setting on your steps, it’s free to you, but somewhere, somehow, somebody paid for it. And your gift of salvation, your gift of forgiveness, your gift of heaven and eternal life, your gift of a purpose in life, your gift of all the good things somebody had to pay for it. And Jesus Christ did that for you. Why? Because He loves you.
We get to enjoy all of God’s blessings – all of his gifts because Jesus paid for them on the cross! Romans 5:15 says “Many people have received God’s gift of life by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.”
I don’t know how to say it any clearer than this. There is nothing that you will ever do, that you could ever possibly do that will make God love you more than He does right now. You can’t make God love you more. He already does. And there is nothing you could ever do that will ever make God love you any less than He does right now. Why? Because His love is not based on your performance. It’s based on His promise of grace. Not on your merit but on His mercy. Not on your goodness but on His grace.
If you ever grasp this, it will change your life. You will not be running from God all the time worrying about what He thinks. Instead you’ll run to Him every time you fall. You don’t run to somebody who wants to scold you. You run to somebody who wants to hug you and help you and change you. If you ever get it, it will change your life.
Finally, #5, what else is true about grace? E – EXTENDED THROUGHOUT ETERNITY.
The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…[That’s the bad news. The good news is the rest of the verse] the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Underline the word “eternal”. That is the result of giving your life to Jesus Christ – you get to live with Him in heaven forever!
What’s heaven going to be like? You’re going to be reunited with loved ones who know the Lord. You’re going to be rewarded for your faith. You’re going to be reassigned a position of work that you love to do. You’re going to be released from pain, depression, despair, shame, guilt and you’re going to rejoice and party for eternity. What a deal!
But there’s a catch. The catch is you have to accept it. If you were to find a gift on your table when you got home today and you left it there for the next year wrapped and unopened, that’s pretty dumb. A gift is worthless unless you actually accept it. You must accept God’s grace through His Son Christ.
A good way to remember what grace is – God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. You can’t earn it – you can buy it – you have to accept it, receive it.
The Bible says that the way you get to know God is to have a relationship with Him, have your sins forgiven and get into heaven is by accepting what’s already been done for you. You accept what Jesus Christ did 2000 years ago on the cross. If you were to summarize Christianity in one word it would be the word “done”. It’s already been done for you. “Do” versus “done”. Jesus did it all. That’s the difference. And it is a free gift to you. You just accept it.
What else is true about grace? #2 - R – RECEIVED BY FAITH
Grace is received by faith. You don’t earn it, you don’t work for it, you don’t deserve it, you don’t do a bunch of things to get God’s grace like “If I take communion I get God’s grace… If I'm baptized I get God’s grace…” NO! Grace is received by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves…” That means even the faith you have is a gift from God. God gives you the faith to believe in Him. Even faith comes from God. “… it is the gift of God not by works so that no one can boast.”
I’ve said this many times, but can you imagine how miserable we would be in heaven if everybody could get there by working for it and earning it? Everybody up there would be bragging. We’d have all these levels of how people got into heaven. The bible says that is not the way it works though. Heaven is a free gift – grace. You don’t get there by earning your way in.
It’s just a free gift. Romans 4:16 says “People receive God’s promise by having faith. This happens so that the promise can be a free gift.” Salvation is not based on my performance. It’s based on God’s promise. It’s not based on my merit. It’s based on God’s mercy. It’s not based on my goodness. It’s based on God’s grace.
The third thing true about grace? A – IT’S AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.
What does that mean? God doesn’t play favorites. Regardless of your status, regardless of your background, regardless of the sins you have committed God loves you. Unconditionally. And God has His grace that’s available for you.
No matter who you are and no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’ve done – God loves you, He wants you to come home to Him. He wants to shower His grace on you. He wants to throw a party for you when you return. It is available to everyone.
Listen to Romans 10:13 - it says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Does that mean ugly people? YES! Beautiful people? YES! Does it mean fat people and skinny people? YES! Does that include tall and short? YES! Does that include dumb people as well as smart people? YES! Does that include rich and poor? YES! Every ethnic background? YES! Does that include people in prison? YES! EVERY ONE!
It means everybody. You can’t understand what it means to have a relationship with God without understanding grace because it’s the only way you can have one. Without it you don’t have any relationship with God. It is the heart of Christianity. It is the heart of following Christ and being a believer. No matter what you’ve done and no matter who you are God’s grace is available to you. God’s free gift of salvation is available to everyone!
The fourth thing true about grace? C – IT COMES THROUGH CHRIST.
That’s the only place it’s available. It comes through Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Acts 15:12 says “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved.” Why through Christ? Why does grace only come through Christ?
Because He’s the one who paid for it. Nobody else has volunteered to pay for your sins. Nobody else has volunteered to pay the price for all the good things you get to have. Grace is free to you and I but it is not cheap because somebody has to pay for it. And it cost Christ His life. That’s how expensive your ticket to heaven was. That’s how expensive paying the penalty for all the sins you’ve done and won’t have to pay for. It cost God His own Son. That’s how much He loves you. Grace is free but it is not cheap because Jesus Christ had to pay for it.
If you went home today and found a gift setting on your steps, it’s free to you, but somewhere, somehow, somebody paid for it. And your gift of salvation, your gift of forgiveness, your gift of heaven and eternal life, your gift of a purpose in life, your gift of all the good things somebody had to pay for it. And Jesus Christ did that for you. Why? Because He loves you.
We get to enjoy all of God’s blessings – all of his gifts because Jesus paid for them on the cross! Romans 5:15 says “Many people have received God’s gift of life by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.”
I don’t know how to say it any clearer than this. There is nothing that you will ever do, that you could ever possibly do that will make God love you more than He does right now. You can’t make God love you more. He already does. And there is nothing you could ever do that will ever make God love you any less than He does right now. Why? Because His love is not based on your performance. It’s based on His promise of grace. Not on your merit but on His mercy. Not on your goodness but on His grace.
If you ever grasp this, it will change your life. You will not be running from God all the time worrying about what He thinks. Instead you’ll run to Him every time you fall. You don’t run to somebody who wants to scold you. You run to somebody who wants to hug you and help you and change you. If you ever get it, it will change your life.
Finally, #5, what else is true about grace? E – EXTENDED THROUGHOUT ETERNITY.
The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…[That’s the bad news. The good news is the rest of the verse] the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Underline the word “eternal”. That is the result of giving your life to Jesus Christ – you get to live with Him in heaven forever!
What’s heaven going to be like? You’re going to be reunited with loved ones who know the Lord. You’re going to be rewarded for your faith. You’re going to be reassigned a position of work that you love to do. You’re going to be released from pain, depression, despair, shame, guilt and you’re going to rejoice and party for eternity. What a deal!
But there’s a catch. The catch is you have to accept it. If you were to find a gift on your table when you got home today and you left it there for the next year wrapped and unopened, that’s pretty dumb. A gift is worthless unless you actually accept it. You must accept God’s grace through His Son Christ.
A good way to remember what grace is – God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. You can’t earn it – you can buy it – you have to accept it, receive it.
I love you guys. Pray for Sunday morning, that the power of God would draw people to Himself. Stay faithful. Stay the course. Pauline Alker will be writing the BLOG this next week, as I'm off at camp with our students.
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