Merritt Opening Song: The Wonder of It All #75 Title: God of Grace
Scripture: 2Corinthians 6:1, Since, then, we are working with God, we plead with you not to accept God's grace in vain.
A king has a banquet in your honor. All your favorite foods are there. As you leave that evening, you thank the King at the door, “Your Majesty, I want to thank you so much for this wonderful evening! I know this must have been a very great expense, so I would like to make a small contribution to help cover the cost.” You then press $10 in his hand. Is that a compliment or an insult?
Grace is never a mixture of God’s divine goodness and man’s human effort. Grace is entirely work of God, unplanned by man, undeserved by man. Grace is God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves. It is either all grace or it is not grace at all.
Only by the grace of God can anyone be saved. A young pastor was sitting in a restaurant eating lunch. He opened a letter from his mother with $20. As he left, he noticed a beggar outside the door. "That fella could use $20 more than me." So he crossed out his name on the envelope with the $20 and wrote in large letters, "PERSEVERE!" He gave it to the man. The man read the message and smiled. Next day, while pastor was eating lunch, the same man gave him a wad of money saying, “This is your half of winnings. Persevere came in first at the race track 30 to 1.” Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all OUR righteousness are like filthy rags."
Steps to Christ p. 60, Their own works, trusting to anything they can do, to bring themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy.
SONG: GRACE ALONE
Can we pay for God’s grace? The grace of God is absolutely free! Heaven is a free gift. What could you or I possibly add to the cross? $10? We doubt anything can really be free anymore. An ad says we’ll get a free pizza. Ah, small print says we have to buy a large pizza first. An ad says weekend on the lake with $50 spending money, but we’ll be open game for timeshare salesmen. There is no small print in God’s offer of salvation.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MERCY AND GRACE? Mercy is God TAKING my punishment that I deserve. Grace is God GIVING me salvation I do not deserve. Because of God's mercy, I don’t have to spend time in the penalty box. Because of God's grace, I receive the Stanley Cup I don’t deserve. Both mercy and grace come only through Jesus. John 17:24, Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved me before the foundation of the world. When we get to heaven, it’s because Jesus asks for us to be there! When Jesus picks us for His team, if we say yes we are saved. My defense is weak and my offense isn’t good but I learned the secret of victory. Just pass the puck to Jesus.
Grace comes through Jesus from before foundation of the world. God’s grace was provided before any of us needed it. Grace is not looking for good men to approve, for it’s not grace but only justice to approve goodness. To think grace is part of our own gifts, talents, charm, wit, hard work or faithfulness is self worship. Not even repentance is produced by us.
Goodness of God leads us to repentance. Man doesn’t like to think of God showing grace, full, free forgiveness of sin, without God demanding payment from us. This is so opposed to all man’s thoughts that we dislike it. Our heart calls it unjust. 1John 3: 20, For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything. We humans don’t deal this way and we don’t like to think of God giving anything for free!
How do we receive God’s grace? A preacher showed a woman who wanted to know the Lord but didn't understand. He asked for a cup of tea, and when she brought it, he ignored it and asked again. Four then five times he asked for the tea he already had! Finally she saw it! The Lord's favor, eternal life, power to live His life right now is ALREADY ours! Jesus has already given it to us! That was God's part; our part is to reach out and take it. No sinner will say he cannot, rather he will not accept God’s grace.
SONG: DON’T LET WHO YOU ARE KEEP YOU AWAY
2 Corinthians 6:1, As God's workers, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God's grace and then ignore it. Galatians 1:6, I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all. Let’s not abandon grace for man’s ideas.
Law is the standard of righteousness; Grace is source of righteousness. Law defines righteousness; only grace delivers it. The Law was never way of getting salvation; it shows us need of a Savior! God’s law shows us how sinful we are. Grace comes to us in our poor condition. Using law or legalism is a human system where a person tries to produce his own righteousness by behavior.
The Christian can "fall from grace" into legalism. Galatians 5: 4, For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! Legalism is always external actions not attitudes and motives of the heart. Matthew 6:1, Beware of practicing righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. Legalism lowers God’s standards from internal of the heart, to external of behavior. Joel 2:13, So rend your heart, which is inward, and not your garments, which is outward.
A little girl, when asked her name, would reply, "I’m Mr. Sugarbrown’s daughter." Her mother told her this was wrong, she must say, "I’m Janey Sugarbrown." Pastor asked her in church, "Aren’t you Mr. Sugarbrown’s daughter?" With her mother standing a few feet away, the little girl said, "I thought I was, but Mommy says I’m not." Humans do outward behavior but only God makes us a child of the King.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was raising standards set by scribes and Pharisees, not lowering them. Matthew 5:20, For I tell you, that unless your justice abound more than that of scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter kingdom of heaven. Pharisees lowered God’s standards to externals. The rich young ruler unashamedly said, “Teacher, I have kept ALL these things from my youth up.” What an incredible thing to say! Only legalists can say that! When people are satisfied with human effort, there’s no room for God. Preacher Charles Spurgeon said, “To disobey the gospel is worse than to break the law. For disobedience to the law there is remedy in the gospel, but for disobedience to the gospel, no remedy can be found.”
No matter how wonderful legalism appears, it dishonors God, distrusts God. Why are written legal contracts necessary? Because we’re human and fail. We forget vows we said, promises we made. Some never intended to do them in the first place! A legal contract gives power to force another to keep his word. Legalism can’t co-exist with grace, because God never forces. Here, take this tea! You HAVE to drink it! Legalism is not God’s righteousness, but duty and obligation. Legalism focuses on law, not God Himself, on "behavior" not relationship.
Cheap grace is talk without life commitment. When you think grace is just license to sin, that is CHEAP grace. There’s nothing cheap about God’s Grace. Free, yes, but never cheap. Grace cost God everything! His own life. We account for so much God sacrifices His life? It’s mind blowing! Sin caused such terrible suffering to Jesus. Do we love what killed Jesus? I don’t think so! Grace of His nail-pierced hand causes us to hate sin. Christians who take hold of grace HATE sin.
SONG: GRACE AND PEACE
Does grace mean God will keep winking at my sin? Grace seems unfair. Jesus takes my sin and pays for it on the cross so that I, a sinner, get to live His life. Grace doesn’t ignore sin; He PAID for sin. Any bible doctrine can be misapplied to justify sin. We can say faith doesn’t matter how much we sin? We can say love covers multitude of sins so we hurt the ones we love? A father is asked by his friend, “Has your son decided what he wants to be when he grows up?” “Yes, he wants to be a garbage collector.” His friend said, “Strange ambition for a job.” “My son thinks garbage collectors only work Tuesdays cause that’s trash day.” God’s grace works every waking moment.
Anyone who excuses sin still believes down deep they’re condemned, otherwise why would we need excuses? Grace in us, if we really accept it through faith, will always result in Jesus living His love in us. A famous minister received great honor. Minister said, “The donkey went to Jerusalem; they put clothes on the ground before him. He was not proud. He knew it was not to honor him, but Jesus, who was sitting ON him.”
Grace is "God's enoughness." God is enough no matter what we face! Not only are we saved by grace, we live by grace. 1Corinthians 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
A reporter asked Marian Anderson the greatest moment in her life. Toscanini said hers was the finest voice of the century; she gave private concert at the White House for King and Queen of England and Roosevelts. She won $10,000 Bok Award for doing most for her hometown. Easter in Washington she sang at Lincoln statue for 75,000 Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet, and Congress. Marian told the reporter greatest moment of her life was the day she told her mother she wouldn't have to take in laundry anymore! Grace means we don’t have spiritual poverty anymore! Grace means we have salvation in Jesus. 1 John 5:11, And this is the testimony: God HAS given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
God is gracious not only in what He provides, but also in what He prohibits. Adam and Eve were told they could freely eat of every tree except one. So many good things in paradise! They didn’t realize God’s love in saying don’t eat of that tree. How painful the result of eating from that tree! It corrupted a whole planet! God knew it would only hurt them, bring marriage problems, thistles, shame of their body, death, decay and their son’s murder. Satan tells us God’s way is drudgery. God is the One who really loves us and wants our best happiness.
Galatians 2: 21, Do not nullify which means cancel out the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. If we could be saved by anything else than grace, then Jesus did not have to die. Salvation has been provided to all but it must be accepted by each person.
Christian professor Stuart Blackie gave oral tests. One young man held his book in the wrong hand. Professor thundered, "Take your book in your right hand, and be seated!" At his harsh rebuke, the student held up his right arm. He was missing a hand! Other students shifted uneasily. Professor walked to the student and with tears said, “I never knew. Please, forgive me.” He made a lasting impact on that young man. This story was told much later in church. A man came forward, raised his right arm without a hand. "I am that student. Professor Blackie led me to Christ."
Jesus said, “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life,” John 5:40. None miss out except those who won’t accept grace of Jesus. Do you find it easy to forgive little but not much? I do. But if that was true of God’s grace, then we would all be in serious trouble! Grace knows no bounds and no limits! Taste and see that the Lord is gracious.
SONG: YOUR GRACE IS ENOUGH FOR ME