Amazing Grace: God's Unfathomable Gift

Good morning, and welcome to TGP West!

If you are visiting with us, we are so glad to have you this morning.

There are sermon outlines available in the back.

If you would like one, just raise your hand, and one will be brought to you.

Like most other churches around the world, we have spent the last several weeks teaching and learning about the birth of Jesus Christ.

We have a new series coming up that I am quite excited to preach through along with our Elders, Carey and Ben.

We will spend five to six weeks covering The Gathering Place West distinctives.

The distinctives are what make us who we are at TGP.

We will discuss our mission, motivation, message, methods, ministry, and multiplication.

This material is a major part of what we teach during new member training, but it is helpful to the whole body to be reminded every few years of who God has called us to be.

Additionally, there will be an opportunity following that series for those who have been attending for a while and would like to become members of the church to do so.

More details will come as we move into that series.

Before discussing distinctives, God wanted us to pause and be reminded of His grace as we begin a new year.

If you grew up in church or around others who did, you have no doubt heard the word “grace” before.

You may even know what it means.

Often, while knowing what a word like grace means, we may not understand it fully.

For example, you are probably aware that grace is essentially goodwill that is freely given.

In the South, we often use the word graceful to describe how a person holds or presents themself.

It can be used to describe someone's demeanor or personality.

Or we may even jokingly call someone who is clumsy “grace.”

But there is something much deeper, more significant, compelling, and substantial that God wants us to know that extends beyond the dictionary’s definition.

God wants us to know Him and His grace by experience.

We love that phrase at TGP, to “know by experience.”

If you haven’t heard me use that phrase, it means to know something because you have been through it, felt it, and absorbed it into your being.

Let me share a quick story that will help you to really understand what I mean when I use the phrase “by experience.”

My son, Luke, is learning how to drive.

His mother and I decided years ago that we wanted all of our kids to learn to drive a standard.

Last week, while teaching Luke how to start on a hill, I explained the process of using the clutch to hold the car so it didn’t roll backward down the hill.

That gives him time to remove his other foot from the brake long enough to put it on the accelerator.

As I explained how this process works and how the car would feel and respond to the steps and motions I was describing, I asked, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He responded perfectly by saying, “in theory.”

I think this is how many people in the church today approach the idea of God’s grace.

They understand it in theory, but most have never truly experienced it for themselves.

After trying the process I described a few times, Luke told me that he noticed the way the engine noise, brightness of the headlights, and the tachometer changed when transitioning between the clutch, brake, and accelerator.

Each time he tried, we talked through all those things that the car was doing until all of it became part of the information he was processing as part of drivig the car.

But it wasn’t until he could experience all the responses of the car that he really “got it.”

My prayer this week has been that we can collectively move toward knowing God’s grace by experience.

It is God’s desire, and my desire, that all of us would have one of those ah-ha moments where the information we know syncs up with what we feel, see, and hear from God.

In the same way, I worked with Luke until he understood all the intricacies of driving a standard, God has given our church elders to help you as you learn, by experience, how to live in God’s grace.

I didn’t give the information to Luke, toss him the keys, and say, “Good luck!”

I got in the car with him and guided him through the process.

God calls elders to do the same for you in your growth as a follower of Jesus.

There is no expectation by God or us for you to figure this out on your own.

So as we cover this material, if something doesn’t quite make sense, or if you have understood the “theory” for a long time but it hasn’t moved into your everyday living, make some notes.

We would love to “get in the car with you!”

As I have talked with many of you over the last few weeks, I have noticed a common theme of struggle.

Often, when we are struggling, the enemy takes that opportunity, while we are feeling weak, to whisper in our ears that we aren’t good enough.

He lies over and over again to convince us that we don’t deserve God’s love or approval.

Or he will convince us that we are too far from God or that God has forgotten about us.

The truth is that all of these things that Satan says are absolute, blatant lies.

As we learn about God’s grace today, we will examine passages from the Old and New Testaments.

Big Idea: God's grace is the essential foundation for both salvation and living a fruitful Christian life, empowering us to face challenges with hope and assurance.

I want us to start today by seeing...

1. God chooses to be gracious.

If you have your bible, turn to Exodus 34:6-7.

I first want you to see how God describes Himself.

Exodus 34:6–7 CSB

6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

If you have your bible open, look at the beginning of this chapter, and you will see the title “New Stone Tablets.”

Exodus 34:1 CSB

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

I will give you a brief back story on this, but if you want all the great details, read Exodus 32-34.

God sent Moses up on the mountain to meet with Him and give Moses the Ten Commandments.

Moses was gone for a while, the people became restless and convinced Aaron, Moses brother, to make them an idol, a false god, to worship.

When Moses comes down off the mountain and sees what they have done, he gets angry and throws down the tablets, breaking them.

Moses is angry because God had just freed these people from slavery, and this is how they responded.

This is not an isolated event but a pattern of rebellious behavior exhibited throughout the Old Testament.

Because they were once again disobedient, God wanted to wipe them out completely, but Moses went before God on their behalf.

Exodus 32:11 CSB

11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God: “Lord, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

The Hebrew word here for favor means the “face” of God.

But a little asterisk or star or something next to this point because it will come into play later.

In response to Moses' plea, God relents and later sends Moses back up the mountain with two new tablets.

We need to make the connection that when we seek God, He is faithful to forgive us.

Look again at what God says in Ex 34:6-7

Exodus 34:6–7 CSB

6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

God is clearly telling us that because He loves us, He is gracious and compassionate.

But God is also just, and therefore, He will not remove the consequences of our actions.

This is in itself an act of grace because we then learn from our sin rather than being doomed to repeat it every generation!

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grace)

Grace (is) one of the distinctive features of the religion of the Bible. No other system of religious thought, past or present, contains an emphasis on divine grace comparable to that of the Bible.

As a general definition, the doctrine of grace pertains to God’s activity rather than to his nature. Although God is gracious, this trait of his nature is revealed only in relation to his created works and to his redemptive enterprise. In other words, grace is to be understood in terms of a dynamic expression of the divine personality rather than as a static attribute of God’s nature. Grace is the dimension of divine activity that enables God to confront human indifference and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to bless. God is gracious in action.

Divine action.

God actively chooses grace; it is not simply His nature.

God could have destroyed Israel, but he decided instead to give them grace!

To make this more personal, when God sees your sin, rebellion, or disobedience, He actively chooses to be gracious to you.

I want you to think for a moment about those lies I mentioned earlier that Satan whispers in your ear.

When he tells you that you aren’t good enough, he’s right.

When he tells you that you don’t deserve God’s love, he’s right.

When he tells you that you are far from perfect, he’s right.

But what he doesn’t mention is that because of God’s grace, none of that matters!

God loves you just the same!

God sees you in your sin and chooses you as his own!

This is what is happening in the Exodus passages we just read.

Israel is not just disobeying God but worshiping a false god.

They replaced the living God who had just freed them from slavery, led them through the wilderness, fed them, and led them to the land that He had promised their forefather Abraham so many generations prior with a statue!

God had every right to destroy them!

Exodus 34:6 CSB

6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,

One might also be tempted to think that, eventually, God will get fed up.

After all, that is how our hearts work.

Eventually, we get enough and write people off.

But God, in his compassion and grace, never relents!

In fact, God chooses to fix our sin problem because we cannot do it on our own.

2. God gave us grace upon grace in Christ Jesus.

Look with me now at the New Testament.

John 1:16–17 CSB

16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

God gave us the law through Moses to help us to see our need for God.

The law was never intended to make us righteous; it points out that we aren't.

So when we try to keep the law, thus proving to God that He should love us, we fail every time.

But God was not done with us yet and sent Jesus to be the physical expression of His grace and love for humanity.

Look what John goes on to say.

John 1:18 CSB

18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.

John is giving voice to what we have all struggled with before.

We want to know God, but because of the sin in our lives, He seems so distant.

While we cannot see God, He sent Jesus so that we can!

God sent Jesus to reveal His gracious love for ALL people in a way that we could see, hear, and feel.

Jesus isn’t walking the earth today, so God sent His Spirit.

Holy Spirit works and is active in our everyday lives so that we never have to walk alone.

God is always with you!

Even when you don’t “feel it,” God is with you.

He will never leave, abandon, or forsake you.

This is God’s grace upon grace!

God loves us too much to leave us in our sin and separation.

It is through Jesus that the solution to sin is found.

God sent Jesus to take the punishment that we deserve.

Jesus, in His great love, gave His life so that we could live!

3. Salvation is a gift of grace.

Look with me at Paul’s words in Ephesians chapter two, verses eight through nine.

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

We live in a culture that celebrates people's ability to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

We praise those who come from nothing and earn a fortune through hard work.

We look down on those who seem lazy.

Many approach their relationship with God with the same mentality.

But the exact opposite is needed!

Paul teaches the church in Ephesus that their salvation is given through God’s grace.

It is a gift from God!

You can not and do not earn a gift!

If it is earned, then that means it was owed.

God does not owe us anything.

In His goodness, God chose to give us the incredible gift of grace.

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Grace (New Testament)) - The Reformation brought about a revival of Augustinian theology, finding its expression in the slogan sola gratia: salvation is of God’s gracious inclination toward us from beginning to end, and does not depend on works nor Church nor sacrament.

Again, God chose to act on our behalf!

We cannot earn God’s love or favor in any way!

He freely offers His love and presence in your life.

This is His gracious inclination!

Let me explain why this is such a foundational truth for every person alive, whether they realize it or not.

Regardless of your present, past, or future, God loves you.

It doesn’t matter in any capacity what you are involved in right now, in the past, or what mistakes you might make in the future; God loves you.

This truth is our bedrock.

It is the unmovable, unshakeable quality of the Holy, Almighty God!

When we can count on nothing or no one else on earth, we can count on God!

We can rest in the knowledge that the God of the universe tells us over and over again that we are worth it.

Not only does God love us, but He brings us into His Holy family.

Galatians 4:7 CSB

7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.

4. We have been adopted by grace.

If you are still in Ephesians, flip back one chapter.

Ephesians 1:3–14 CSB

3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him. 11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory. 13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Listen, it is one thing to love someone.

It is another thing entirely to bring them into your family and make them an heir!

I want you to see that God’s grace is not pity but absolute, unmistakable love!

God gave His son, Jesus, to be crucified.

That was the price for your salvation and for you to be eternally in God’s presence!

God actively chooses you because He loves you.

The three specific words found in scripture that communicate this idea of grace are hesed and heen (Hebrew meaning mercy and favor) and charis (Greek meaning grace).

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Grace (New Testament))

Grace can mean loving help to an individual or to people. Thus, a Christian’s speech “may impart grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29). The term charis is thus translated as “gracious work” in 2 Cor 8:6, 7, 19. It is not here a technical term..., but rather a description of unusual generosity.

God’s “grace” describes His unusual generosity!

Hear me when I say this!

God loves you!

Nothing you have done, are doing, or will do can change that!

If you have given your life to Him, there is nothing you can do to undo your salvation!

Look at what Jesus says in John 6:37.

John 6:37 CSB

37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.

God’s love is not conditional!

Hear me, church, Satan is really good at his treachery, but do not let his lies fool you any longer!

One of my favorite songs of all time is Embracing Accusations by Shane and Shane.

I’ve mentioned it many times before.

Oh, the devil's singing over me an age old song That I am cursed and gone astray Singing the first verse so conveniently over me He's forgotten the refrain, Jesus saves!

When you hear Satan whispering lies in your ear, remind him of the refrain!

God is gracious and compassionate!

We need to regularly do what King David did and remind ourselves of God’s goodness.

We need to shout louder than Satan’s war cries the truth of God.

Psalm 86:15–16a (CSB)

15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me...

Do you remember that asterisk you put on your outline?

David is doing the same thing that Moses was doing.

He is seeking God’s face, God’s faithful, compassionate, graceful face.

As we close in worship this morning, this is our song and prayer.

“God, turn to me and be gracious to me.”

Take this outline home and write these truths where you will see them daily.

Let them remind you of the refrain whenever you feel defeated, abandoned, unloved, forgotten, or too far gone.

God chose to be gracious to you.

You cannot sin more than God can be gracious.

God offers salvation through His grace, and it cannot be earned.

You have been adopted into God’s family and made a coheir with Jesus Christ.

Would you join me in prayer?

Life Group Questions:

How can experiencing God's grace change the way you view your own struggles?

How does knowing that God actively chooses to be gracious affect your relationship with Him?

What is one specific way you plan to remind yourself of God's grace this week?

What steps can you take this week to counter the lies of the enemy that tell you you are not deserving of God's love?

In what ways can the church community support one another in experiencing God's grace more deeply?

What are practical ways you can share the message of grace with those around you?

Announcements:

Baby Dedication next week for Mia’Sarah.

Mia’Sarah is sick; please pray that God will heal her!

Wednesday night volunteer training is this Wednesday at my house(?)