The Gift of Grace

Notes
Transcript
We gave our kids a vacation years ago that cost a great deal of money. Our kids loved it. It was only a few weeks later after coming home that they said we needed to go again, not realizing the great cost. Years later we would go again, but this time we strived to help them understand the true value… the things we would give up… the time in saving… and the large price tag associated with this amazing gift we were giving them.
For God so LOVED the world, that He gave…” My goal this morning as we approach Christmas is to help us better understand the COST and VALUE of this amazing “Gift of Grace”…
As I dug deeper into this concept of the gift of grace and the depth of this one verse… I realized that a three hour sermon was just not enough time to get through all of it… so rather than explore this concept in the depth in which I would love to do, we are going to look at a verse and break it down today…
The passage I have decided to have us look at today as we consider the COST and the VALUE of “God’s Gift of Grace is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21
2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
I know what you’re thinking… “How is he going to discuss and break down this verse and keep it under three hours?”...
One word: NOTES!!!
The overall breakdown looks like this: [verse breakdown slide]

He Made Him...

I want us to notice that it is God who is doing this…
He is the One doing the giving (John 3:16)
He is the One at work here… He is acting on our behalf!
He is the One doing the redeeming!
It is vital that we realize this. Man is not seeking God but rather it is God who is pursuing mankind!!! Romans 3:10-11
Romans 3:10–11 NASB95
as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;
God is His abundant GRACE and MERCY is seeking after us!
The next two statements we look at deal with SIN! Sin is the “WHY” God gave His Son…

A Look & Sin...

The affects of sin on our world and mankind is devastating. I stated a couple weeks ago… you and I do not have a fully right perspective of SIN!
In Genesis one, two and three we see several things:
A Good God Created Good Creation
God Created Man for Relationship
God Warned Man of Sin & Consequences
Man Sinned & Death Came
Romans 6:23 states:
Romans 6:23 NASB95
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The death that occurs due to sin is both physical and spiritual:
Physical Death: Our bodies are dying, weak, fragile, now temporary
Spiritual Death: We are separated from a God, Holy, Righteous God!
(Todd Ellis)… “Evil is not a thing - that is to say it has no being, it has no independent status. It is neither a force nor a spirit nor a being. Evil can only be understood in terms of good. Good must exist in order for evil to exist.”
Evil the very absence of anything and all that is GOOD!!! … this is hell!
This consequence has been dealt out to ALL MANKIND!… so God intervenes…

Who Knew No Sin...

Jesus Christ… the God Man… Emanuel God with us!
Knowing no sin indicates perfection / holiness / righteousness
These are attributes only given to God
Notice once again that it is GOD who is intervening
Jesus Christ being God could do something about our sin…

To Be Sin…

Man sinned against God
Man had to pay the consequence of sin
Man was not able to meet God’s standard
Therefore in order to accomplish this God became man…
McLean states this about this concept of “to be sin”:
Christ becomes a transgressor through an act of substitution. … A real transfer of sin and curse to Christ was essential. Christ must truly become polluted.… A real death was necessary to put real distance between saved Christians and the power of sin.
God provided Jesus to stand in for sinful humanity. Even though Jesus was sinless, God deals with him as though he were a sinner by letting him die an accursed death
Paul would explain the impact of Adam’s sin and our great need and gift of Jesus Christ in Romans 5:12;16-18
Romans 5:12 NLT
When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
Romans 5:16–18 NLT
And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.
I find it fascinating and humbling that God would in His holiness and righteousness declare the consequence for your sin and my sin against Him, an all Holy God…
and then… declare He would take the consequence on Himself!!!
This gives a whole new look at the concept of peace on earth!!!
When Jesus was born there was no wars… yet peace is absent
When the anti-christ comes there will be no wars… yet peace will be absent
But Jesus, Emanuel, and the angels declare… “Peace on earth!”WHY???
Because we were enemies of God
Romans 5:8 says “while we were sinners” Christ came and died
Jesus Christ came to restore peace between God and man
We were incapable of meeting God’s standard / so God came… GRACE not deserved or merited but given. Jesus was not “another” option to God… He is the only way John 14:6
John 14:6 NASB95
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

So That…

The result of what God did is beyond true comprehension… you and I have the opportunity to be made new!!!
Our old nature of sin defined who we were but because of Jesus Christ
There is something NEW given, we are given a new identity...

We Might Become...

There is a reconciliation before God that occurs
You and I are made right as Christ takes our sin upon Himself
We see this extraordinary exchange of our ENMITY in for a loving relationship!!! Romans 5:10-11
Romans 5:10–11 NASB95
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
We move from being Alienated from God to Accepted by Him Colossians 1:21-22
Colossians 1:21–22 NASB95
And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
Look at what this passage says we become…

The Righteousness of God…

Jesus took our sin… and He in turn gives us His righteousness!!!
This is our NEW IDENTITY!!!
What a Gift… The righteousness we see in God the Son is now given to us
We do not simply “have righteousness” from God, we are the righteousness of God as a result of being in Christ. We are given his righteousness… and NOTICE THIS… (the grace He gives)
… only as we are in Him, and will be raised like Him as well!

In Him.

PERIOD… this righteousness is found in NO OTHER!!!
What GRACE… Ephesians 2:8-10 states it so well…
Ephesians 2:8–10 NASB95
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as 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.
Our New Identity In Christ… should provoke us to works, to action!
Prior to verse 21 in 2 Corinthians Paul is challenging the church there to act and function as ambassadors! this is not merely a gift to receive, it is to be shared as well!
Look at these words of scripture as we contemplate the VALUE and COST of this GIFT OF GRACE (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
2 Corinthians 5:18–20 NASB95
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
God so loved the world that He gave…
May we be willing to share this gift of his faithfully out of… gratitude, deeper understanding, and obedience!
May you have a blessed Christmas season as we contemplate the true VALUE of God’s Grace!
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