Sunday AM Service 07/21/19 God's Eternal Grace

G.R.A.C.E. - Eternal BR/Text: Titus 3:4-7; 4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Introduction: This topic of Grace is the essence of our Christian faith. The reality of Grace resides in the most dominating characteristic of our heavenly Father, His Love. While it is true that God judges and punishes Sin – It is truer still that God prefers Grace! Eph 5:20.2; But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That is why he gave it, that is why he sent his Son Jesus Christ to die and pay the price for us. But what is Grace? Grace has been defined as the unmerited favor of God It means that God granted us pardon and favor that we were unworthy of. Let’s look at two extreme examples, You take someone who perhaps has been a good family man, he’s been in the military, he’s worked hard, raised his kids to do right and be respectful, he’s been unselfish and helpful to others, he has been an upstanding member of society his entire life. Then, you take a person who has been in and out of prison their whole life, they’ve robbed, cheated, stolen, harmed others, you name it. Now they are standing accused of murder. They haven’t committed any redeeming act to help their situation, they are hoplessly, and helplessly in front of the judge awaiting their sentence. He has no merit to stand on. One man would stand on his merit and expect reword and acclamation for his righteous life, while the other is helpless and in expectation and worthy of penalty and judgement. The grace of God through Jesus Christ takes the deeds of the unrighteous man and puts them onto the righteous man, and punishes him for the other man’s actions, and takes the actions of the righteous man and places them onto the unrighteous man and bestows benefit upon him for the deeds of the righteous man. It is the love of God that this in born from, through the love and obedience of Jesus Christ. Rom 5:6-9; 6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him This is the Grace of God! God delights in Grace, God desires to give grace God paid the highest price for this grace, so that Grace could be applied abundantly God gives every opportunity for grace to work. God would rather grace prevail unto salvation, than for sin to prevail unto destruction. What truly Amazing Grace. Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. Amazing Grace shall always be my song of praise, for it was grace that bought by liberty. And there’s no other word for Grace but Amazing! Week 4 - Commitment First we spoke on how Grace is the gift of God – It is the gift given to the entire world. Not a select few – For God is not willing that any should perish, but that ALL would come to repentance. So he gave us the free gift of Jesus Christ to be received by Faith Then we spoke on Grace being God’s redemption. We spoke on the price of sin, and that we were indebted to die as a result. But Christ paid the price FOR us that was too high for us to pay. He paid the Debt. We have been Redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ. Then we explained how through God’s Grace we have Acceptance. We will talk about Justification, Propitiation and it is all made possible through Faith and by his Grace. Last week, We will saw how the Grace of God was demonstrated by his Commitment to us in sending Jesus Christ to die. Jesus Christ was fully committed by shedding his glory to become a man, enduring temptation, suffering anguish was despised and rejected, then was horrifically beaten and mocked, then died for our sin, but arose with all power, and is right now seated on the right hand of the Father clothed in glory and majesty, and ever lives to make intercession for us. He’s still Committed! This week, we want to explore the gift of eternal life. Grace’s Eternal Life – Intro To understand Eternal life we must first understand life. Life Defined - The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change (preceding death) Death by its basic definition means separation. What happens when our soul separates from our body (physical death). What happened when our spirit separated from God? (Spiritual death) Most ofthen when we think of life we usually only think of life in one aspect. We think of life as it relates to THIS world. We think of our physical bodily existence on this earth. Gen 2:7; And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul As a being created in the image of Almighty God, we consist of more than our physical bodily existence. There are spiritual components to our makeup. Just as the godhead consists of three distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) We ourselves consist of three parts (Body, Soul, and Spirit). Our Spirit is connected to God, it craves for God, it yearns for him. Our Body is connected to this world, it desires things of this world, temporal pleasures, Our Soul is connected to our Body and our Spirit, it is the essence of who we are, and abides forever. God created us in perfection, there was Life in the body, there was Life in the soul, and there was Life in the spirit. It was perfection. God doesn’t create Junk! God created this body this machine to live forever. Our body renews itself, our cells self replicate. It is shared that our body replaces itself with new sets of cells every 7-10 years. No part of our body is more than 10yrs old (tell that to my knees!) God designed this body to live forever – But when sin entered there was a curse that came with it that affected mankind. The separation of the Spirit from the Father brought this cascade of death upon mankind. I. Sin’s Curse Rom. 5:12; Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Sin caused our Spirit to be separated from God, so the life that comes from God was cut off. With our Spirit separated from God this caused our Flesh (body) that is tied to this world to be consumed by the pleasures of this world. With our flesh driving by the pleasures of the world this drags our Soul down the path of destruction, which ultimately leads to eternal separation. II. Life in the Spirit through Grace But there is hope because our Spirit although separated from God still yearns to be reconnected to God, and God yearns for us to be reunited with him. And Grace made a way for us to be Reunited with Him. Romans 5:20.2; 20Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. God is Eternal, and God is Life, and if our Spirit is reconnected to Him than that Eternal life is infused into us (body, soul, and spirit) Coming into that life is like hot being hot and sweaty and coming into cool refreshing AC! Army Experience – On the verge of passing out from heat exhaustion – Making it into the AC. Life in Jesus Christ is just like that, he infuses life into our very being. And it is through Grace that we have ETERNAL LIFE! I didn’t know life until I knew Jesus Christ. Because Life is restored to us. In the Garden man’s Spirit had Life, man’s Body had Life, and Man’s soul was fulfilled because the Life that was in us both Body and Spirit. Now through Grace, our Spirit once again has LIFE. Just as it did in the Garden our Spirit is connected to God. Infused with Life and Light that comes from God. John said 1:1; 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. The benefactor of this life in the Spirit is our Soul! But there is a struggle, because although our Spirit is reborn, our Flesh remains unchanged and still lives under the curse of sin. It still desires sin, it still is attached to this carnal world. So there is this struggle between our Flesh, and our Spirit, and the battleground of this struggle is our eternal soul. But thanks be to God that through Jesus Christ he has given our Spirit the power to overcome the Flesh! Through His Grace we have Eternal Life!!! III. His plan for us is eternal. There is more to God’s grace than what he has given us in this life. Listen to Paul writing to the Corinthians, 1 Cor 15:19; 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Eph 2:5-7; 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. God doesn’t have short term plans for us. Salvation isn’t just a one time experience, but it is a walk, a life, a service, a dedication, a love, and a REALITY! We have eternal hope in Jesus Christ, a hope that is made available to us BY GRACE! Brethren flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but One day this vile flesh will cast off it’s corruption, and be changed, glorified into that which is incorruptible. 1 Cor 15:50-53; 50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality 1 John 3:2,3; 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. IV. Grace Keeps us until we possess Eternal Life. We have a road to travel through until we get there, but His Grace and His Love is able to keep us. In Rom 8:35, 37-39; 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul had this testimony 2 Tim 1:12; 12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Titus 3:7; 7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. It is through his Grace that we have Eternal Life! Conclusion God’s plans for us are eternal. His Grace is Eternal. The grace of God is “G” the Gift of salvation, we don’t deserve it, but it is freely given to those what will confess and repent of their sins, and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The grace of God is “R” his Redemption, Christ paying the high price for our Sin, but in order for it to be applied to our account we have to Accept it by Faith. The grace of God is “A” his Acceptance of Christs sacrifice, when we confess our sin and accept the Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. The Father no longer sees our sin, but sees Christ’s righteousness. He has made us accepted in the beloved. The grace of God is “C” his Commitment to us. He paid the highest price imaginable to purchase our salvation, and Jesus Christ abides forever as our advocate and intercedes continually on our behalf. The grace of God is “E” Eternal. God’s eternal plan of life for us through Jesus Christ. Why do we sing about grace? Because it is the beauty of God’s salvation. It is the embodiment of his Love, the personification of his nature. And it was manifest in the flesh. John said “and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of GRACE, and truth” Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!