The Reach of Grace

Reading of the Word

Ephesians 2:4–10 NASB 2020

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Prayer of Illumination

Gracious God, as we turn to Your Word, open our hearts and minds by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Shine Your light upon the Scriptures so that we may clearly see Your truth and understand the depth of Your grace. Guide us, teach us, and transform us by Your grace, that we may grow in wisdom and understanding, and live in ways that honor You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Let’s Get Started

A ship captain working as a slave trader encountered the reach of God’s grace, came to Christ, and became

a pastor. John Newton later wrote about that grace in a song known throughout the world. The thought

of God’s “amazing grace” captures our thankful hearts as we consider the many facets of God’s incredible

work in our lives.

"Why is the hymn *Amazing Grace* still relevant in 2024? Because God’s grace is timeless—it continues to reach us, transform us, and give us hope today, just as it always has." Today we are taking a brief look at four of the many ways God extends grace to us. That God’s grace is so vast and amazing so that we have everything we need to live out our faith because the Father’s love for us, because of Jesus and his life, death and resurrection, and because of the Holy Spirit living in us and working through us.

“The goal of all Christian discipleship is to shape us into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Grace is not something - grace is Someone! -David Busic

I. Seeking Grace (Luke 19:10)

Luke 19:10 NASB 2020

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

A. God’s seeking grace, also known as prevenient grace, goes before us, reaches out to us in numerous

ways, and draws us to the heart of God.

1. God is everywhere.

2. The gentle Savior shows up in virtually every area of our lives, humbly and kindly offering us his love and mercy.

3. Everyone’s life would be blessed by accepting the grace offered by the humble Savior, and Jesus is miraculously present everywhere we turn.

B. Believers often testify about when they “came to Christ.”

1. We must always remember that we did not first seek him; he came looking for us.

God is seeking you and has been your whole life. God is seeking every person on earth.

2. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

C. Jesus’s three parables of lost things all visualize for us the loving, longing, seeking heart of God

reaching out to bring his children back to himself (Luke 15).

1. The lost sheep (vv. 1-7)

2. The lost coin (vv. 8-10)

3. The lost son (vv. 11-31)

D. “The prevenient grace of God knows no boundaries or barriers. The love of God relentlessly reaches

even the most difficult, resistant, and hostile persons. They may never respond in obedient faith,

but they cannot escape the pervasive presence of the God who will not stop loving and drawing

them.”

E. When we understand God’s grace and God’s mission and pursue it together, the renewal of the church becomes a reality.

1. God’s grace + God’s mission = renewal of the church (next week’s message).

2. As long as their is life on earth, nobody is ever out of the reach of God’s grace.

3. We must not assume that anyone is beyond the reach of God's grace because of their inward or outward appearance.

II. Saving Grace (Rom. 6:23)

Romans 6:23 NASB 2020

For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is a story about a guy who falls into a hole that he cannot climb out. He cries out to a doctor and a priest, who go on their way after doing little to help. Finally, a friend shows up and, on hearing the guy’s cry for help, jumps in the hole. The guy responds, “‘Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here!’ The friend says, ‘Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.’”

Barber, Sam. People of Grace: Becoming Disciples Together (p. 16). The Foundry Publishing. Kindle Edition.

1. Sin is the pit and Jesus is the only way out of the pit.

“when we were dead in our wrongdoings”

Psalm 40:2 NASB 2020

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud; And He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm.

A. Most people in the world believe in life after earthly death; many imagine passage into the best possible afterlife (heaven)

being granted for good deeds, kind words, and thoughtfulness toward others outweighing wrongdoing.

1. This is what I like to call Counterfeit Holiness. This is what much of the world, even Christians believe.

B. Christians believe that we cannot save ourselves through good deeds, kind words, and thoughtfulness

toward others; only God can save us by his grace.

1. Our hearts some pre-wired for selfishness. The fall makes this a reality. We want our desires and undervalue the wants and desires of God and others.

C. Jesus referred to our salvation as being born again (John 3).

D. Jesus completed the Old Testament sacrificial system in one final and complete sacrifice for the sins

of humanity (Heb. 4–10).

E. Christ made our salvation possible by representing us and dying on the cross for our sins; we identify

with him in his death and accept his free gift by grace through faith (Rom. 1:17-18).

F. “We receive the gift of saving grace by believing in God. We throw ourselves on the mercy of God

and put our faith in Christ alone. We trust in his victory won on the cross, we trust that the guilt of

our sin is canceled, we trust that the death grip of sin is broken, our conscience is cleansed, and we

find at-one-ment with God.”

III. Sanctifying Grace (1 Thess. 5:23-24)

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 NASB 2020

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.

A. In saving grace, God forgives us of our acts of sinning; in sanctifying grace, God deals with the

inward nature that compels us to demand our own way, which often leads to sin.

1. Jesus’ work through the cross made it possible to deal not only with the effects of sin but also with the source of sin.

“Through Christ and by the help of the Holy Spirit, God got to the heart of the matter, which is a matter of the heart.”

Barber, Sam. People of Grace: Becoming Disciples Together (p. 22). The Foundry Publishing. Kindle Edition.

2. God removes our old wiring of selfishness and replaces it with a new wiring that aligns our hearts with His desires and purpose for us.

B. Parents learn at an early age that their children strongly desire to have their own way; that bent

toward self does not dissipate with age (Eph. 2:3).

C. By faith, we accept God’s forgiveness of our sins; by faith, we consecrate ourselves fully to God

(Rom. 12:1-2) and accept his cleansing of our carnal nature (original sin) through the purifying

power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:8-9).

D. God’s sanctifying grace works at a moment in time as he renews our hearts by faith and across a

lifetime of growth in grace as he transforms us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29).

1. Like the growth of a child into adulthood, spiritual growth in grace occurs throughout life.

2. Spiritual growth takes more than time; it takes daily practice.

3. We must cooperate with God as he leads us into Christlikeness.

4. Spiritual growth occurs best within the community of faith.

E. “The good news of the gospel is not only that we will one day be with God when we die but also

that the offer of abundant life in God’s kingdom is for now, right where we are. God’s plan is that

his image in us that was marred by the fall should be restored to all of its beauty and glory, that

we would become his masterpiece, reflecting Christlikeness in what we think, say, and do. That is

called sanctification, and that is what we are becoming. It is not optional for a growing Christian.”

IV. Sustaining Grace (Jude vv. 24-25)

Jude 24–25 NASB 2020

Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.

A. Our consecration does not sanctify us; we cannot sanctify ourselves through our own efforts.

B. The divine power given to the disciples on the day of Pentecost was not a gift from the Holy Spirit;

it was the Spirit’s presence within (Acts 1:8).

C. The radical optimism of God’s sustaining grace reminds us that God transforms believers into the

image of his Son as we grow in his grace (Gal. 4:19).

D. Sustaining grace is “the power of God that keeps us from falling and causes us to stand blameless

before him on the final day. Such a declaration communicates a very important truth about our discipleship:

we can fall from grace, but the sustaining grace of God makes it possible not to have to.”

To Sum It Up

No one is beyond the reach of God's grace. God's prevenient grace draws us before we even know Him, His saving grace redeems us, His sanctifying grace transforms us, and His sustaining grace carries us forward.

Conclusion

In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul summarizes the important features of God’s amazing

grace. That is, our eternal salvation comes as a free gift of God’s grace and our cooperation with the faith

that he grants us. We do not deserve it; we cannot earn it through good works. Since we receive this great

salvation by grace through faith, we have no grounds on which to stand and boast of our own human

achievement or accomplishment. We are not self-made saints; we are God’s handiwork. He has created us

in Christ Jesus to do good works. God has big plans for our spiritual success; only he can bring these plans

to reality as we cooperate with his Holy Spirit. What he has done in us is a gift from God. God is doing in us

what we can’t do for ourselves. So we must embrace his grace in every area of our lives. Embracing grace

means showing forgiveness when wronged, allowing God in the door of your heart where you may have

put up a do not enter sign, practicing patience during challenges, extending kindness without expecting

anything in return, and relying on God’s strength in moments of weakness.

Embrace God's grace in all its forms—allow it to draw you in, redeem you, transform you, and sustain you every day.

Prayer Following Message

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your boundless grace that reaches every part of our lives. Help us to embrace Your grace daily, not only for ourselves but also in how we treat others. Teach us to forgive, to be patient, and to show kindness, reflecting Your love in every practical way. May Your grace sustain us, transform us, and lead us to live in step with Your will. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Benediction

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Go forth in the power of His grace, extending His love and mercy to everyone you meet. Amen.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Go forth in the power of His grace, extending His love and mercy to everyone you meet. Amen.