Sola Gratia
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Well, good morning, church!
I am excited to open up God’s Word this morning as we continue our Devoted series.
If you missed either of the past two weeks, I highly encourage you to go back and listen. You can find both messages on our website and YouTube.
In week one, we asked: Who is Jesus?
And we talked about Christ alone.
Last week, we asked: Can I trust the Bible?
And we talked about Scripture alone.
But today, we come to a question that gets incredibly personal.
How are we saved?
We’re going to be in the book of Ephesians this morning, so if you have your Bible, go ahead and turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2.
And if you want to follow along with the message notes on your phone, TWO WAYS TO TAKE NOTES
And while you’re turning there, let me give you a little bit of context.
Ephesians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to Christians in and around the city of Ephesus.
And Paul spends the first part of this letter reminding these Christians of everything God has done for them through Jesus.
In chapter one, Paul uses words like chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and even predestined.
And sometimes we read words like that and immediately want to start asking all kinds of theological questions.
And those can be good questions.
But before we ask what questions we want Paul to answer, we need to understand what Paul is actually trying to say.
Paul isn't trying to give these Christians something to argue about.
He's reminding them of something they should never forget:
Look at what God has done for you.
In fact, at the end of chapter one, Paul talks about the incredible power of God that raised Jesus from the dead.
And then he turns to these Christians and says:
That same power did something in you.
Look with me at Ephesians chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
This morning we are going to talk about
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
And if you're wondering what that means, Paul just told us:
“For by grace you have been saved.”
Christianity makes a claim that is radically different from the way we naturally think.
Salvation is not something we achieve.
Salvation is something we receive.
pray
Where are my fellow hotel toiletry thieves at?
You know who you are.
You check into a hotel, and suddenly everything in that bathroom becomes part of the room rate.
The little shampoo? Mine.
Conditioner? Mine.
Lotion that I have absolutely no intention of ever using?
Mine.
And if housekeeping replaces it tomorrow?
Well, apparently God has provided again.
It’s kinda frustrating now because now they use those giant squeeze bottles mounted to the wall…
I don’t know who needs to hear this today….
But those bottles come off too….
I'm kidding…..
Please don't steal the hotel's industrial-sized shampoo dispenser.
We are literally talking about good works later….
But there's a reason none of us feels bad about taking the little bottles.
Because somewhere in our minds we're thinking:
“I paid for this.”
It was included in the price of the room.
I paid for it, so I'm entitled to it.
And honestly, that's how most of life works.
I pay for a service... I receive it.
I go to work... I receive a paycheck.
I order food at a restaurant... I receive a meal.
I pay my electric bill... I receive electricity.
I order something from Amazon... I receive it by 10 p.m. tomorrow.
And if it says it'll be there tomorrow and it's not?
Oh, now we have a problem.
Because I paid for it.
I ordered it.
I'm entitled to receive it.
And whether we realize it or not, a lot of us have learned to approach salvation the exact same way.
We treat salvation like Amazon.
I did my part.
I was a good person.
I went to church.
I got baptized.
I prayed.
I gave.
I served.
So God, where's my package?
I did what I was supposed to do.
Now give me what I'm owed.
But there's a problem.
Grace doesn't work like Amazon.
Because salvation isn't something you ordered.
It's not something you paid for.
In fact, Paul is about to show us that when God found us, we weren't customers waiting on a delivery.
Paul literally starts the first four words of chapter two….
1a And you were dead….
Not struggling.
Not having a bad day.
Not spiritually underperforming.
Dead.
We often debate good versus bad.
That's not even close to the conversation Paul is wanting to have.
Paul isn't asking:
“Are you a good person or a bad person?”
He's asking:
“Are you dead or are you alive?”
Because if the problem were that we were bad, maybe we could become better.
If the problem were that we weren't trying hard enough, maybe we could try harder.
If the problem were that we didn't know enough, maybe we could learn more.
But you cannot self-improve your way out of death.
Dead people don't need improvement.
Dead people need resurrection.
I mean look at what Paul is saying through the first three verses:
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Paul’s like, hey, you didn’t just suck at being good…
You were so bad at it that you were dead.
But actually, Paul’s point goes even deeper than that.
He isn't saying you tried to be good and failed.
He's saying you started dead.
Sin isn't just something you occasionally did.
Sin described the condition you were in.
Look at his language.
You were dead in trespasses and sins.
You walked in them.
You followed the course of this world.
You lived according to the desires of the flesh.
And then Paul says we were “by nature children of wrath.”
In other words, our problem wasn't that we needed to clean ourselves up a little bit.
We needed God to do something for us that we were incapable of doing for ourselves.
We like to imagine salvation as God standing at the top of a ladder saying, “Come on! Climb up here!”
The problem is we're not good enough to climb the ladder.
Matter of fact, we can't even find the ladder.
And if we did, we'd probably break it.
Salvation cannot begin with human achievement because the human condition is incapable of achieving it.
And I know that doesn't exactly sound encouraging.
Like, “Good morning, church! You're dead, you're sinful, you can't fix yourself, happy Sunday!”
But here's why we have to understand the bad news.
Until you understand what you needed saving from, you'll never understand how incredible grace actually is.
Because if I just needed a little help, grace is helpful.
If I just needed some direction, grace is helpful.
If I just needed God to give me a boost up the ladder, grace is helpful.
But if I was dead?
I don't need help.
I need a miracle.
And that's why two of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible show up in verse 4:
4a But God….
Remember Colossians 1….?
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
THAT GOD…
The God who created all things.
The God who is before all things.
The God in whom all things hold together.
The God we said in week one is not simply a way to God, but is God revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
THAT GOD looked at you in your death.
And Paul doesn't say:
“But you tried harder.”
“But you cleaned yourself up.”
“But you finally got your life together.”
“But you started going to church.”
“But you became a better person.”
No.
BUT GOD.
Because
Salvation doesn't begin with something you did. Salvation begins with something God did.
verses 1-3 are describing our condition but in verse 4 something shifts.
when God enters the equation all of a sudden the whole point changes.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Did you catch who is doing all the work here?
Paul says God loved us.
Notice what Paul doesn't say.
You made yourself alive.
You climbed your way up.
You earned your place.
You proved you were worthy.
God did it.
And don't miss when He did it.
Verse 5:
“Even when we were dead in our trespasses…”
Not when you got better.
Not when you got your addiction under control.
Not when you started coming to church.
Not when you finally started reading your Bible.
While you were dead.
God didn't wait for you to become worthy of grace.
If you could become worthy of it, it wouldn't be grace.
Let me give you an easy definition to remember of grace:
Grace is God giving you what you didn't earn.
You didn't earn salvation.
You didn't earn forgiveness.
You didn't earn reconciliation with God.
You didn't earn new life.
God gave it.
That's grace.
Here is why this is hard for us…
Humans are wired to be doers.
From the time we're little, we learn:
If I do this, I get that.
Clean your room, you get your allowance.
Do your homework, you get a good grade.
Go to work, you get a paycheck.
Work hard, you get the promotion.
Order something on Amazon, that thing better be on my porch tomorrow.
We understand earning.
We understand achieving.
We understand transactions.
What we're really bad at is receiving.
Because receiving something you didn't earn requires you to admit:
“I didn't do this.”
And our pride hates that.
We want to contribute something.
We want to believe there was something about us that made God say, “Okay, this one deserves saving.”
But grace doesn't leave room for that.
Grace says you brought the need.
God brought the rescue.
And I'll be honest, this probably isn't going to be the most popular message I’ll ever preach.
Because we like messages that tell us what to do.
“Five things you can do to feel closer to God.”
“Three steps to strengthen your faith.”
“Seven habits of spiritually healthy people.”
And there's nothing wrong with practical messages like that.
The Bible tells us to do things.
But you know why we like those messages?
Because they give us a checklist.
Tell me what to do.
Give me the steps.
Let me accomplish something.
Grace doesn't give you a checklist.
Grace looks at you and says:
You can't do this.
You can't save yourself.
You can't become good enough.
You can't earn your way to God.
You have to receive what God has done for you.
And for people who are wired to achieve...
that's hard.
Remember when Paul said you were dead?
Then in verse 4 he says, “But God”?
Look at what happens when God stepped in…
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
You were dead.
God made you alive.
You were separated from God.
God raised you up with Christ.
And then Paul says He seated us with Him.
In other words, God didn't just make you a better version of who you used to be.
He gave you an entirely new life in Christ.
And look at why Paul says He did it:
“So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace…”
Your salvation is not a monument to how good you became.
Your salvation is a monument to how gracious God is.
For all eternity, your story gets to say:
“Look what God did.”
Not, “Look what I accomplished.”
Not, “Look how good I became.”
Not, “Look how religious I was.”
Look what God did.
Let’s keep going:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Paul could not have said this any clearer…
“By grace you have been saved.”
How?
“Through faith.”
And just in case we still think we contributed something to the transaction, Paul keeps going:
“This is not your own doing.”
It's a gift.
And just in case that wasn't clear enough:
“Not a result of works.”
Why?
“So that no one may boast.”
Paul shuts every door we might try to sneak our résumé through.
You don't get to stand before God and say:
“I was a good person.”
“I went to church.”
“I got baptized.”
“I gave money.”
“I served.”
“I knew the Bible.”
“I grew up in a Christian home.”
Those may all be good things.
But none of them saved you.
Because if you could point to something you did and say, “That's why God saved me,” then you would have something to boast about.
And Paul says:
Nobody gets to boast.
There is only one boast in salvation:
Look what God did.
And this is where I want to make you uncomfortable for a minute.
Because there is a phrase that Christians say all the time:
“God loves the sinner, He just hates the sin.”
Can I tell you something?
That’s not what the Bible says.
In fact, the Bible says something much more shocking than that.
The Bible says God hates sinners.
I know.
Some of you just went, “Wait…WHAT?”
But listen to what Scripture actually says.
Psalm 5:5 says:
“You hate all evildoers.”
Not just evil.
Evildoers.
Psalm 11:5 says:
“The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.”
And Paul just told us right here in Ephesians 2 that apart from Christ we were:
“By nature children of wrath.”
See, sometimes we talk about sin as though it’s this thing floating around outside of us.
God hates this thing called sin, but His wrath has nothing to do with the person committing it.
But that's not the picture Scripture gives us.
Sin is personal rebellion against a holy God.
And God's judgment isn't against some abstract concept called sin.
God judges sinners.
Now, don't misunderstand what I'm saying.
The Bible also tells us:
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…”
Romans 5 says God demonstrated His love for us in that:
“while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
And that tension is incredibly important.
Because the gospel is not that God looked at our sin and said:
“Eh. It's fine. I love you anyway.”
No.
God's holiness did not change because of the cross.
His hatred of wickedness did not disappear.
His righteous judgment against sin did not suddenly become unjustified.
The cross doesn't show us that our sin wasn't really that bad.
The cross shows us just how serious our sin actually was.
And yet…
While we were dead.
While we were sinners.
While we were enemies.
While we were children of wrath.
But God.
God moved toward us.
God sent Christ.
God made us alive.
God gave us what we could never earn.
That is grace.
Grace isn't God pretending you deserved salvation.
Grace isn't God deciding your sin didn't matter.
Grace is a holy God giving salvation to people who deserved His judgment.
And when you understand that…
Suddenly “by grace you have been saved” means a whole lot more.
But Paul has one more thing to say.
Because maybe you're sitting here thinking:
“Okay. If I'm saved by grace, and my works can't save me…
then why do my works matter at all?”
Look at verse 10.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
In other words…
We are not saved BY good works. We are saved FOR good works.
Good works don't purchase salvation.
Good works are produced by salvation.
You don't obey so that God will love you.
You obey because in Christ, you've received grace.
You don't serve to earn salvation.
You serve because you've been saved.
You don't give to earn salvation.
You give because you've been saved.
You don't pursue holiness hoping that maybe God will finally accept you.
You pursue holiness because God has made you alive in Christ.
Works aren't the root of salvation.
They're the fruit of salvation.
Christianity begins with receiving, not achieving.
Are you still trying to achieve what God is asking you to receive?
If you've been with us through this series, you know that every week we've had a Devoted Challenge.
I want you to understand why we're doing them.
These challenges aren't homework.
I'm not trying to give you another religious box to check.
In fact, that would be a pretty terrible way to end a sermon about grace.
The purpose of these challenges is to take what we're learning on Sunday and live with it throughout the week.
I don't want you to hear about something but never experience it.
I don't want you to hear a message about grace on Sunday, say, “That was good,” and then wake up Monday morning and go right back to living like everything depends on you.
I don't want you to just know what Sola Gratia means.
I want you to learn how to live like someone who has received grace.
So this week, your Devoted Challenge is simple:
Read Ephesians 2 every day.
It's 22 verses. That's it.
But don't just read it to say you read it.
Every day, I want you to pay attention to what God does.
Circle it.
Highlight it.
Write it down.
God loved.
God made us alive.
God raised us.
God seated us with Christ.
God saved us.
And every day, let Ephesians 2 remind you:
Your relationship with God doesn't begin with what you achieved. It begins with what He has done.
And by the end of this week, my prayer isn't simply that you know more about grace.
My prayer is that you begin to understand what it means to live like someone who has received it.
Don't do the Devoted Challenge because you're trying to earn something from God.
Do it because you want to spend this week reminding yourself of what God has already given you.
By grace you have been saved.
