Saved by Grace
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Ephesians 2:8-9
Today we begin a brand-new series entitled “The Grace of God.”
Over the next several weeks, we will journey through Scripture to see how God’s grace saves us, sustains us, enables us to forgive, meets our every need, and helps us finish well.
This is more than just a theological study; it is an exploration of the very heart of God toward His people.
Grace is not a minor theme in the Bible — it is woven throughout every page, from Genesis to Revelation.
The Christian life begins with grace, continues in grace, and will end in grace.
Without grace, there is no hope, no salvation, and no lasting peace.
Yet grace is one of the most misunderstood and, sadly, often neglected truths in the church today.
Some think grace is a “get out of jail free” card to live however they want.
Others think grace is something you have to earn by being good enough, sincere enough, or religious enough.
But the Bible paints a very different picture.
Grace is God’s unearned, unmerited, and undeserved favor, given freely to sinners who could never save themselves.
It is not something we work for; it is something we receive.
It is not a wage paid for services rendered; it is a gift given to the helpless.
The Apostle Paul sums it up perfectly in Ephesians 2:8–9, where he tells us salvation is by grace through faith, not of works, so that no one can boast.
This morning, as we study “Saved by Grace,” we will see that grace is not just a doctrine to understand, but a reality to experience every day.
In 1830, a man named George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. Mail and sentenced to hang.
President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon, but Wilson refused to accept it.
The Supreme Court ruled a pardon is only valid if accepted by the person.
God’s grace is like that — freely offered, but it must be received by faith.
Let’s begin our series by looking closely at the source, supply, and security of this grace that saves.
I. The Source of Grace – God’s Gift
I. The Source of Grace – God’s Gift
Grace does not begin with us; it begins with God.
It is rooted in His eternal character and flows from His heart of love toward undeserving sinners.
Ephesians 2:8 begins with “For by grace are ye saved,” reminding us that salvation is a work of God from start to finish.
If grace started with us, it would be uncertain and unstable.
But because grace begins with God, it is as secure as He is.
A. Grace Originates in the Heart of God
A. Grace Originates in the Heart of God
God’s love moved Him to provide salvation when we were helpless.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans tells us …
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
This means God’s grace was at work before we ever thought about Him.
We did not earn His favor; we are simply the recipients of His mercy and kindness.
B. Grace Is Not Earned by Works
B. Grace Is Not Earned by Works
If salvation could be earned, it would stop being grace and become a transaction.
But God will not allow His gift to be cheapened by our attempts to pay for it.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
We must lay aside any pride in our own goodness and rest completely in what God has done.
C. Grace Is a Divine Initiative
C. Grace Is a Divine Initiative
The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
This is God stepping into human history to rescue us when we could not rescue ourselves.
All the way back to the Garden of Eden, when God sought Adam and Eve after they sinned, all the way to the cross where Jesus bore our sin, grace has always been God taking the first step.
When we realize salvation begins with God, we stop trying to climb to Him and instead trust His outstretched hand.
In the early 1900s, a poor boy in Chicago was selling newspapers on a bitterly cold day.
A man saw him shivering and invited him into a nearby church to get warm.
As the boy sat in the back listening, the preacher explained that salvation is a gift from God, not something we can buy.
The boy later said, “I didn’t have a penny to my name, but I went home that day the richest boy in Chicago, because I took the gift Jesus was giving me.”
Grace begins with God’s gift, not our resources.
Once we understand that grace begins with God and is freely given, the next question is, “How does it get to us?”
The Bible’s answer is simple — God’s grace comes into our lives through faith.
II. The Supply of Grace – Through Faith
II. The Supply of Grace – Through Faith
God’s grace is the source of salvation, but faith is the means by which we receive it.
Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved “through faith,” making it clear that grace must be personally received.
Faith is not the cause of salvation, but the channel through which salvation flows.
Faith is like a straw in a cup.
The straw doesn’t create the drink, it just delivers it to you.
The drink is already there — someone else provided it.
In the same way, faith doesn’t create salvation, it simply delivers God’s grace to our lives.
The grace is already there, provided by God through Jesus Christ, and faith is the means by which we receive it.
If grace is the fountain, then faith is the straw that delivers the water.
With this idea in mind I want us to see Three things regarding this supply of Grace… First, as we have been saying…
A. Faith Is the Channel, Not the Cause
A. Faith Is the Channel, Not the Cause
Faith itself does not save us — Jesus saves us.
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Jesus is how we are saved.
Faith simply reaches out to take hold of the One who can.
Do not trust in your faith; trust in the Savior your faith is resting in.
the second thing regarding the supply of grace I want you to see this morning is…
B. Faith Rests Fully on Christ’s Finished Work
B. Faith Rests Fully on Christ’s Finished Work
The Bible says that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
He began the work of salvation on the cross and finished it when He cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
Real faith does not divide its trust between Jesus and our own efforts.
It leans wholly and completely on Him.
Stop trying to mix God’s grace with your own goodness; salvation is not 99% grace and 1% you — it is 100% grace.
So then the third thing I want you to see this morning about this supply of Grace is …
C. Faith Rejects Self-Reliance
C. Faith Rejects Self-Reliance
A great picture of this is seen in the Gospel of Luke.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
The publican in Jesus’ parable stood afar off, he would not even lift his eyes to heaven, and he cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
He did not offer God his good deeds, his religious credentials, or his best intentions.
He simply pleaded for mercy and trusted God to give it.
Faith is not bringing something to God to prove yourself worthy — it is coming empty-handed and trusting Him to fill your hands.
I spoke of this the other day, but In the 1800s, Charles Blondin was famous for walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
One day, he asked the crowd if they believed he could carry a man across in a wheelbarrow.
They all shouted “Yes!”
Then he pointed to one man and said, “Get in.”
That man quickly declined.
Many people believe facts about Jesus, but saving faith means getting in the wheelbarrow — trusting Him completely with your soul.
We’ve seen that grace is God’s gift and that faith is the means by which we receive it.
But Paul also makes it clear that salvation is “not of works,” which means grace is secure and cannot be lost by our failures — and that leads us to the security of grace.
III. The Security of Grace – Not of Works
III. The Security of Grace – Not of Works
Paul ends Ephesians 2:9 by making sure there is no confusion — salvation is “not of works, lest any man should boast.”
If salvation depended on our works, we would either live in constant fear of losing it or in pride for thinking we had earned it.
God designed grace to remove both fear and pride, so that we would rest in Him alone.
Notice this morning three things about Works:
A. Works Cannot Earn Salvation
A. Works Cannot Earn Salvation
The prophet Isaiah reminds us that even our righteousness is as filthy rags.
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Compared to God’s perfect holiness, the very best we can do still falls short.
Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
We have to stop comparing ourselves to others and recognize that before God we all stand in need of His mercy.
Secondly notice…Not only can Works not earn salvation, but …
B. Works Cannot Maintain Salvation
B. Works Cannot Maintain Salvation
Paul rebuked the Galatians for trying to finish in the flesh what began in the Spirit.
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
If we could not save ourselves to begin with, why would we think we could keep ourselves saved?
John 10:28–29 promises that no one can pluck us out of the Father’s hand.
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Our security rests in God’s power, not our performance.
Works cannot earn Salvatin
Works Cannot Maintain Salvation…instead…
C. Works Flow From Salvation, Not to It.
C. Works Flow From Salvation, Not to It.
James tells us that faith without works is dead, but those works are the fruit of a living faith, not the root of salvation.
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
A transformed life is evidence that grace has taken hold, not the price we pay to get it.
Good works are our thank-you note to God, not our ticket into heaven.
Imagine a child learning to walk while holding their father’s hand.
The child may stumble, but the father’s grip keeps them from falling completely.
In the same way, our spiritual security does not depend on our grip on God, but on His grip on us.
Because grace is secure and cannot be earned or maintained by our works, we can rest in the fact that salvation is a finished gift from God.
That security frees us to live in gratitude, serve in joy, and grow in faith.
If we as wicked sinners love our children enough to not let them stumble … how much more will our good Heavenly Father keep us?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Grace is God’s unearned, unmerited, and undeserved favor poured out on undeserving sinners.
It is the heart of the gospel and the hope of every believer.
Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty.
We cannot earn it.
We cannot buy it.
We cannot work for it.
We can only receive it by faith and rest in the finished work of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us that everything about our salvation — from its source in God’s heart, to the faith that brings it to us, to the security that holds us — is all of grace.
Grace leaves no room for boasting, only for gratitude and worship.
When you truly grasp the grace of God, you cannot help but say with the hymnwriter, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”
Jerry Bridges put it simply: “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”
That means there is no sin too great that God’s grace cannot forgive, God will always forgive anything except unbelief.
But also remember there is no success so high that you no longer need God’s help.
On the days you fail, grace is there to lift you.
On the days you succeed, grace is there to keep you humble.
Every day, in every season, we live by grace.
John Newton, a former slave trader, experienced God’s transforming grace and wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.”
His tombstone reads, “Once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”
Newton never forgot that he was saved by grace, and his life became a testimony of God’s mercy.
Have you received God’s gift of grace?
If not, today you can put your trust in Christ and be saved.
If you are saved, are you living in the joy and gratitude that grace brings?
Today we have seen how God’s grace saves us.
But grace does not stop at salvation.
The same grace that saves is the grace that carries us through every trial and every day of the Christian life.
Next week, we’ll look at how God’s grace helps us keep going —
giving us strength when we feel weak,
Giving us courage when life is hard,
and giving us hope when we’re ready to give up.
