Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

500 words

Let me tell you a little story about a fellow named John.

He was born in Kentucky in 1963.

His family moved around a lot, eventually settling in Florida.

He was an average kid, who’s parents split up when he was a teenager.

John was given a guitar as a teen, and he wanted to be a rock musician.

He quit school to pursue his dream.

He used to play in various garage bands.

Eventually he moved to Los Angeles with his band to try to score a record deal.

During the day he would work odd jobs to support himself and his wife, and at night he would play music, and well, he started to use drugs.

Then something unexpected happened.

He was hanging out with his mate Jackie one day.

Jackie had a movie audition to go too, so John tagged along.

Jackie did his audition, and John was asked to read for a part as well!

Surprisingly, Johnny got the part!

Probably much to Jackie's frustration!

Johnny played his part in his first movie; “A Nightmare on Elm Street”.

And from there he would go on to play a part in various other movies, then the TV show 21 Jump Street.

Then Edward scissor hands.

And then bigger and greater roles.

This is how Johnny Depp became the headline actor we know today.

You probably know him best from Pirates of the Caribbean where he plays Captain Jack Sparrow.

John has also starred in other big budget movies and has become an huge celebrity.

All because someone chose him to play a part he didn’t even know he wanted.

Now this young fellow Johnny was pursuing a completely different path in life.

He was pursuing his own direction in life, but providence brought him to something greater and better than the life he had before.

He was headed down a spiral of drugs and likely dead end rock band.

But in few moments, he was chosen by a director and put on a completely different trajectory.

Now I tell you this story because it reminds me of the topic we’re covering today.

We’re talking about lives being turned around.

We’re talking about the unexpected choices of another that dramatically alter everything.

We’re talking about the external kindness that lifts us out of our darkness.

Today we’re looking at Grace alone.

This is that external gift from God, that comes to us through Jesus that lifts us from sin and death and puts us in a position way greater than the stardom of big name celebrities.

God’s Grace seats us in heavenly places, in the presence of God!

This Grace Alone topic is the fourth in our series where we have been looking at the battle cries of the Reformation 500 years ago.

We have seen how in the time of Luther the Gospel was marginalized and hidden by the trappings of the Roman Church.

But as we have looked at each topic we have seen that the problems of Luther are just as prevalent today, however it’s not about one particular institution, in fact we all are guilty in one way or another of trying to overshadow Gospel, and churches, even those that consider themselves descendants of the Reformation have forgotten these biblical ideas.

We all need continual reforming to align with God’s Word.

Today and for many days to come, we need to be reminded again and again that our salvation comes through grace alone.

We don’t contribute anything to our rescue or redemption.

We didn’t do anything to deserve it, nor do we do anything to keep it.

And seeing that is the case, we can find joy in receiving the gift!

But there is also some hard questions to deal with in regard to Grace.

Things that are uncomfortable and heavy, so we will hit some of the hard teachings the perplex us around God’s Grace today as well.

Lets step through 4 things that tells us about Grace Alone.

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Death before Grace

Pre-Grace is Death

Without grace we are dead.

Not just wayward or blind; dead.

v1-3

Death precedes Grace.

Without grace we are dead.

Not just wayward or blind; dead.

You see, the natural condition of humankind is spiritually dead.

This is inherited from our parents, and their parents, and their parents.

When we are born, we receive physical life from our parents.

Unfortunately we don’t receive spiritual life from our parents.

Instead, we need a second kind of birth to receive spiritual life.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians to instruct them, he laid out for them the life before grace in vivid detail.

Look with me at

When Paul wrote to the ephesians to instruct them, he laid out for them the life before grace in vivid detail.

Look with me at

Without grace we are dead.

Not just wayward or blind; dead.

Eph 2

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Before people are rescued by God, they are dead.

Dead men walking.

Sin brings death, and all are sinners.

Before people are rescued by God, they are dead.

Dead men walking.

Sin brings death, and all are sinners.

In a pre-grace world we follow the course of our natural inclinations, we sin, and we follow after the greatest sinner of all; Satan, the prince of the power of the air.

Not only do we do it naturally, but we are confined to it.

If you sin you are a slave to sin.

And slaves don’t free themselves.

Slaves are stuck, that is the nature of slavery!

SO, to be rescued death and slavery we need someone to save us.

We need an external force to come into our deadness and make us alive.

We need to be born again!

Reborn out of spiritual death into spiritual life!

Jesus said the same;

We are all of sinful stock - there’s no use denying it

Do you notice, with these metaphors of the life before Grace; Death, Slavery and the need for rebirth, these are all things do don’t have power over.

The dead cannot raise themselves, the slave cannot free themselves and no one can birth them self!

If you’ve hung around Eastgate for long you will have heard this kind of stuff before about our radical corruption, our total depravity, our fallen humanity.

But do you believe it?

You might hear this often here, but do you know it?

Do you know it ?

If you’re like me, you grew up with Disney movies.

And that characteristic Disney perspective that we all have something great within ourselves, and if we would just open our hearts, or look within or realize our potential then we would be able to overcome any obstacle in our path.

Are you are a product of this indoctrination?

Do you have a Disneyfied faith where you think the power lies within you to reach up to God and claim your salvation if you want it bad enough?

Or do you have a Christian faith?

Do you recognize your inability?

Do you echo Paul’s ideas?

Can you say “yes, before grace I was a child of wrath”?