Grace and Works

The Power of Grace 

Part IV

Grace and Works

Merry Christmas!

Wrapping up series on grace today. 

Johannes! End of year!

Bible declaration

INTRO

Recap - grace, unmerited favor and empowerment!

It covers and empowers.

Two words: Grace and Truth

This week, another word pairing: Grace and works

Classical conflict for many christians, how can we reconcile:

Many parts, including book of James, sounds like unless I work I have no faith… Putting pressure on. 

Last week, PC addressed:

Greasy grace (lawless) - other side - legalism (rules and religion)

Begin where this whole series started:

1 By grace, through faith

Ephesians 2:8-9

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

Saved by grace! NOT from works! Can’t be said more plain. 

It is not legalism. It is not how much I pray, fast or give. It will not make me more saved, more righteous. 

By grace…Through faith….

What is faith? I believe….is that the same thing? 

FAITH IS BELIEF IN ACTION. 

I believe something, and I act upon it. Moving in line with what I believe. That is faith.

Let me show you!

ILLUSTRATION

Christmas time, gifts! 

Undeserved. Given out of love! (NOT reward, but gift!)

Toss them on to the person. Bouncing off. Have to receive. TAKE ACTION. Faith.

Let me ask a question: Would you count the receiving part as work? NO!! But yet take action. 

It was ALWAYS given by grace - undeserving, unconditional, we just have to respond with faith.

This is a principle that can help you with ALL of God’s promises:

Healing - not by earning or deserving, but by receiving in faith.

Provision - He is our provider! I am acting in faith by tithing, giving, being generous!

Freedom - fully provided for - LET GO of unforgiveness TO receive. 

What do you need today? It is given, paid for, by Jesus, by grace - receive it in faith! 

So it is all grace - no works! 

Well, this passage didn’t end there…

If we slow down and read carefully, These three verses gives us a clear understanding on grace vs works.

Free gift. Given by grace. We receive through faith. NOT our works.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

We can not work for righteousness. CLEAR!

But now, saved, belonging to Jesus, we are created for good works.

KEY STATEMENT:

Works, not FOR righteousness,

but FROM righteousness. 

Can’t do anything to become MORE of. 

But because I am, I will now produce a different kind of fruit - righteous works! Not changing who I am. Not adding to my salvation. 

But it has the goal to transform how I live, what I produce, how I behave, what I prioritize. 

2 Works through grace!

Not works FOR grace, but through. 

No one can explain this better than Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10

For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 

Writing the NT, under the total influence of the Holy Spirit, CAN NOT lie as he’s writing.

TOTALLY undeserving. NOT worthy. Without Jesus I am NOTHING.

This is humility. Knowing who I would be without Jesus. 

I may be a branch attached to the tree, but without Jesus I am a withering branch on the ground. 

But then he continues:

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

By what? THE GRACE of God!

I am a child of God! I am righteous! I have my identity anchored in Him! He transformed me! He changed me!

And the grace He gave will not be idle, left in vain -  no no no! 

Because of that grace, and THROUGH that grace - I have worked harder than Peter, John, James and Thomas! I travel all over the world, I plant churches everywhere. 

BUT NOT ME! I’m not here to boast. It is the grace that has empowered and worked! 

I am not here to prove I AM better than you, but the grace of God makes me better than me!

If you have said yes to Jesus, He has made you a new creation. As we read in Ephesians: You are now his handiwork, or Masterpiece!

Now, let’s not let His grace be given in vain…

He has a purpose, plans for you to, created you to work for His glory! You matter! You are created by purpose, for purpose.

Our church family exist to help you Discover that purpose. To get connected, plugged in and activated. Not for religious points, but from righteousness. Join Next Steps!

I know this: When you work through His grace - our church becomes better, stronger and more beautiful immediately! You will bring something no one else can. You are needed for His kingdom!

APPLICATION:

Some works FROM grace, not FOR grace:

Bible

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting (January 5-26)

Dream Team

Small Group Leadership

Local/global outreach

ALL IN!

3 Rewarded for your works!

As Christians, we believe that Jesus will one day return, there will be a new heaven, new earth, and we will live with Him forever. 

Honestly, I think about eternity a lot. 

To me the barrier between now and eternity is always paper thin. And the reality of eternity is more real than this life.

The reality is this: We will face Jesus, believing in Him or not, one day that will be the most real thing you have ever experienced!

Many Christians don’t realize there will actually be two judgement seats:

First one - did I receive the free gift of salvation? By grace, through faith, undeserving, unmerited, unconditional? 

Did I say yes to Jesus paying the price for my sins, or did I chose to pay for them myself?

Many people have a wrong picture of hell. It is not a place God sends ppl He is mad at, it is a place for people choosing to pay for their own sin. We are allowed to. But we don’t have to!

No works. No earring or deserving will make a difference at this one - it is all what Jesus has done for us!

But then, there is a second judgement seat:

Matthew 16:27

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.

A reward. For what we have done. Our works through grace!

Revelation 22:12

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

2 John 1:8

Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward.

What you have worked for. 

Our earthly time, a blink of an eye measured by our REAL reality - eternity, is a test; a place to activate grace to do what He has asked of us. To live faithfully, and fruitfully for Him!

Full…partial… there will be a reward!

You’ll be rewarded by The King of King Himself. 

I have ONE encouragement - LIVE FOR THAT MOMENT! 

What you do today will echo in eternity!

At 6 places in the New Testament is the reward described as a crown. 

Revelation 3:11

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”

ILLUSTRATION

The King will crown you! For your faithful and fruitful works. For all the time, talent and treasure you gave without any credit from ppl. He saw it all! He counted it all! He recognized it. 

And He’ll crown you.

What an honor. What a day!

LIVE FOR THAT DAY!

Worth it ALL! 

We actually have a picture of this moment, a glimpse of of what it will look like. In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, a moment in eternity is described like this:

Revelation 4:9-11

Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the One sitting on the throne, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the One sitting on the throne. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,  “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

24 Elders…leaders of people… despite what they may have done on earth to earn these crowns, only Jesus is truly worthy of glory and honor. So in the presence of the King of Kings, Jesus Himself, all good deeds we have done will pale in comparison. 

And if we haven’t realized it yet, we will at least realize it then: It was ALWAYS grace! All the time! It was ALWAYS You Jesus! 

It wasn’t me being disciplined studying your Word, me being strong praying a lot, or my patience that displayed kindness in all situations. IT WAS ALWAYS FROM OF YOU! 

Saved by grace. Works through grace. Rewarded…for His grace and how much we allowed His grace to work in and through us. 

What an honor. What an opportunity. 

So don’t give up! Don’t hold back! You have NOTHING to prove to Him or anyone else…but in Him and through His grace, nothing is impossible! 

We are just getting started - and through you, thousands of lives can be influenced by Jesus!

Let’s thank Him here and now for how good He is!!

SALVATION

First judgement.

BY GRACE, through faith.