God's Unconditional Grace

Introduction

Today we are going to start a series of messages out of entitled “God’s Unconditional Grace.” In this chapter we will see the greatness of God and the frailty of man.

David, the psalmist, will outline for us some of the attributes of God, Him being all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present. And even though God knows and sees everything about us, His grace still finds us.

He still extends grace when He knows we are the least deserving of it. When we recognize that lovingkindness of our God, it allows us to live out our lives in confidence that we can go forward by grace.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations The Net

During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell. Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A worker or two fell into the net but were saved. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net.

We are human, which means we make mistakes. We sin, we do wrong every day. It reminds us of our need to fall into the arms of our Savior and get back up by His grace.

Today I want us to see Three Realities in this passage that will help us to get know who we are and get to know who God is.

I. God Knows What We’ve Done (v. 1-2, 4)

The verb “search” means to examine with pain and care. The Jewish people used this term when digging deep into a mine, exploring a land, or investigating a legal case.

This is not just a surface searching, it is a deep thorough search.

-Lately we’ve been having some trouble with our two year old taking off his diaper. In fact, yesterday, twice he took his diaper off and wiped the contents in the diaper all over the room.

-A couple weeks ago though he took his diaper off in the house. There were a couple things that needed to happen. He needed to get a new diaper on, and the old diaper needed to be found!

-We searched all over our apartment for that diaper. We moved everything, we looked under the beds. I even looked in the refrigerator! We couldn’t find it.

-Finally we looked in the changing table we have, and there were a couple diapers there! This was an intentional search. We would not stop searching till we found the diaper.

God has searched us. He fully knows us. He has searched high and low. It says He knows our downsitting and uprising. He knows what we do the moment we get up and the moment we go to bed and everything in-between.

He knows our thoughts, the things we don’t say, verse 4 says He knows the the words in our tongue, the things we do say. God knows more about us than we know about ourselves.

Matthew 10:30 KJV 1900

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

God knowing all about us is both a very encouraging thing and a terrifying thing. God knows every sin we commit. He knows every bad thought we have.

But He also knows what we need, when we need it. He is the answer to the longing of our souls. He knows we’ve done, yet still loves us unconditionally.

II. God Knows Where We’ve Been (v. 3)

We cannot hide where we’ve been in the eyes of God. Many of us probably try to hide things of our past from others, but one person we can’t hide it from is God.

Hebrews 4:13 KJV 1900

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

If we’re not careful we can allow our past to prevent us from having a future with the Lord. What I mean by that is I’ve heard people say, “I can’t be saved because I’m too bad of a person.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done in my earlier years, there’s no way God can save me.” If you’re here today and you don’t think God can save you because you are too wicked of a person, may I say, you are exactly the right candidate for salvation.

Luke 5:32 KJV 1900

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Don’t let your past prevent you from coming to a God who already knows your failures and downfalls. God knows you’ve messed up more than any person on this earth knows. He invites you to come to Him!

John 3:16 KJV 1900

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.

Maybe you’re saved today and you live in your guilt and shame from things you’ve done. May I say, God knows what you’ve done, and His grace is great enough to cover what you’ve done so you can move forward.

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We will not live an abundant life if we constantly dwell upon what we’ve done wrong. God’s grace is greater than our sin. His grace and mercy allows us to get up again and live in light of who He is regardless of what we’ve done.

God knows where we’ve been.

III. God Knows Where We Need to Be (v. 5-6)

That word “beset” means “to guard a valuable object.” God deems our lives as valuable. God’s hand is upon our lives. When you rest and trust in God’s sovereignty, meaning, letting God be God, fear starts to subside.

Just like that net we talked about in the beginning, those men knew if they fell they would be caught, we can find that same kind of rest in a God whose hand is upon our lives.

God knows everything about us, and He knows what needs to happen to us. That’s why when we experience hardships in life we can trust that God knows what is best. He is hope and stay.

We can trust in God to lead us.

beset=to guard a valuable object

Conclusion

God’s grace is unconditional. God knows all about us, yet He still loves us. His grace is daily for us.

Lamentations 3:22–23 KJV 1900

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations More to Follow

A large sum of money was given to Rowland Hill to dispense to a poor pastor. Thinking that the amount was too much to send all at once, Hill forwarded just a portion along with a note that said simply, “More to follow.” In a few days the man received another envelope containing the same amount and with the same message, “More to follow.” At regular intervals, there came a third, and a fourth. In fact, they continued, along with those cheering words, until the entire sum had been received.

Lamentations 3:22–23 KJV 1900

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Every day we receive God’s mercy and grace with as a promise, “There is More to Follow.” Be encouraged today that our God loves us no matter what we do, no matter where we’ve been, and wants to guide us to where we need to be.