The Priceless Gift of Grace, And Our Response to It

Titus 2:11-15;

English Standard Version Chapter 2

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

There is a song that I would like everyone to sing with me this morning. Number 90 in our Hymnal, At Calvary. Let’s sing the first verse and the chorus:

Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me He died On Calvary.

Refrain: Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Pardon there was multiplied to me; There my burdened soul found liberty At Calvary.

I love that song! Mercy there was GREAT and grace was…FREE?

Was grace free? Now if we take the definition of the word “free” as meaning meaning “without restraint, on the loose, unconfined, I can see it. But in the sense that it was without charge, or not costing anything,I beg to differ. This morning I declare to you that grace may have been given to us freely, but grace is not free. It cost something, and I think it is appropriate that we end our series on the attributes of God with grace because grace looks at what God does as we get ready to celebrate Advent

To understand this idea of the great cost of grace we need to understand where it originates. Grace begins with God. Grace is as immense as God is immense. as God is incalculable, unfathomable, immeasurable, so is God’s grace. As Roland J Hill, a pastor and writer puts it, grace s “the prodigal reaches of God’s quickening power to resurrect, rescue, and redeem man in impossible situations. It is the description of the utter helplessness of sinners. It is the demonstration of the true nature of grace that states that grace is solely the work of God without human effort. It is undeniable evidence of the presence and power of God in the salvation of man. It is the reenactment of God’s love demonstrated on the cross in Christ’s darkest moment.”

I think that to get an accurate picture of God’s grace wee need to revisit one of the parables of Jesus. In Matthew13:44 Jesus says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

I submit to you that this parable illustrates the great price that God paid for yours and my salvation! God gave up the greatest and best that God had to redeem us

Paul writes in the scripture before us that for us the grace of God has appeared, or has been illuminated, shown forth. This enlightening, unmerited favor brings salvation to all. Ephesians 2:8–9 says “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

This “gift of God” cost heaven everything. It was costly grace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and martyr who perished in a German concentration camp, wrote in his book “The Cost of Discipleship”, “Costly grace ... is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it costs God the life of His Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered Him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”2

The scripture says that “our great God and savior Jesus Christ…gave Himself for us

Colossians 1:19–22 says “19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—”

God ave up everything in Christ, and died on a cruel cross, the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins, to set us free and to bring us back into relationship with God

Paul in Titus goes on the say that we have a response to this great grace. He writes that in response to this manifold grace, we should deny or say no to ungodliness and worldly lusts; to choose the right instead of the wrong; to walk in the light instead of the darkness, because of what God has done for us in Christ. Look at verse 14, Because Jesus “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed...” Every lawless deed! All the mean, terrible things that we did, or thought about doing, has been paid for in Christ Jesus . He gave himself for us. For mean us! For evil us! For ungrateful us! The song says it was for ME he died at Calvary!

HE redeemed us, in other words Jesus paid the ransom for us. At the same time Jesus purified us, or made us clean so that we can do His good works

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow

We have been washed so that we can be shown off or displayed. Every time you look in the mirror you are looking at what God can do.

David says, “He…brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps…Many will see it and fear, AND WILL TRUST IN THE LORD” (Psalm 40:2–3 “2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.” )

Our response to the incomparable Grace of God is to show the world what God has done, and what God can do for anyone who will put their trust in God.Our response is to demonstrate that grace with a life of gratitude to God and of showing grace to others, while “living soberly, righteously and godly in this present age”