Well, praise God. We are here another Sunday.
Amen. Come here. God's word is to sing his praises
because he is worthy. So today I would like to
talk about the confidence of God's grace. Hear
the words of the Lord from Ephesians chapter
two, verses one through ten. And you, he made
alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. In
which you once walked according to the course
of this world. According to the prince of the
power of the air. The spirit who now works in
the sons of disobedience. Among whom also we
all once conducted ourselves. In the lust of
our flesh. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind. And were by nature children
of wrath. Just as the others. But God being rich
in mercy. Because of his great love with which
he loved us. Even when we were dead in trespasses.
Made us alive together with Christ. By grace
you have been saved. And raised up together.
And made us sit together in the heavenly places.
In Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come. He
might show his exceedingly riches of his grace.
In the kindness. Toward us in Jesus Christ. For
by grace you have been saved through faith. And
this is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God.
Not of works. Lest anyone should boast. For we
are his workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus
for good works. Which God prepared beforehand.
That we should walk in them. Let's pray together.
Father, we thank you for this time of gathering.
Father, we thank you, Lord, that your word is
the ultimate authority of truth. And Father,
you have blessed us with it. Father, we have
everything we need to live a life of godliness
through your word and by obedience. Father, as
we see it in holy scriptures. Father, I pray
that your spirit would move on our hearts today.
Father, as we hear from you in Jesus name. Amen.
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
there is something we need to settle in our hearts
before we can properly understand the Christian
life. The success of God does not depend upon
the strength of man, but upon the grace and faithfulness
of God himself. That truth sounds simple. But
it becomes remarkably important when we begin
to look honestly at ourselves, at our families,
at the church, and at the world around us. We
see our weaknesses and failures. We see how easily
people wander, how quickly enthusiasm fades,
and how often our best intentions fall short.
Sometimes we look at our own lives in wonder.
How will I ever become the Christian God has
called me to be? Sometimes we look at our families
and wonder, will our children remain faithful?
Will the next generation love God? Sometimes
we look at the church and we see weakness. We
see discouragements. We see disagreements, immaturity
and sin. And we wonder, will God's purposes really
prevail? And we look at the world around us.
And we see unbelief. We see hostility toward
Christianity. We see confusion about truth and
morality. We see people rejecting the authority
of God's word. We see a culture that seems to
be moving further and further away from the things
of God. And sometimes we can begin to wonder
whether the church will be able to stand. But
those questions reveal something important about
us. We are often tempted to measure our future
by the strength of what we can see. If we see
strength, we become confident. If we see weakness,
we become discouraged. If we see growth, we become
hopeful. If we see failure, we begin to wonder
whether everything is falling apart. But the
gospel gives us another way. To look at the Christian
life. Our confidence is not found in what we
can do for God. Our confidence is found in what
God has done, is doing, and has promised to finish
for us. That confidence is grace. He does not
need human strength to accomplish his purposes.
He does not need perfect people to build his
church. Or sinless families to preserve the covenant
faithfulness. Or Christians to guarantee the
salvation of his people. Grace does not wait
for us to become strong before God can work.
Grace is what God gives us because we fall short
of the glory of God. Listen to the way Paul describes
our condition in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1.
And you he made alive who were dead in trespasses
and sins. Paul does not say we were struggling.
He does not say that we were spiritually sick
and simply needed some assistance. He says we
were dead. And then, after that statement, comes
one of the most beautiful expressions in Scripture.
But God. We were dead, but God. We were enslaved
to sin, but God. We were separated from Christ,
but God. We were without hope. But God, Paul
continues, but God, who was rich in mercy because
of his great love with which he loved us, even
when we were dead and trespasses made us alive
together with Christ. That is grace. Grace does
not merely improve people who are already moving
in the right direction. Grace raises the dead.
Grace does not merely give a little help. To
people who almost made it. Grace accomplishes
what sinners can never accomplish for themselves.
And because salvation begins with grace. The
Christian life continues by grace. And our perseverance
rests upon God's grace. So today I want us to
see four truths. Grace begins where human strength
ends. Grace accomplishes. What God promises.
Grace produces a people who live differently.
And grace preserves what God has begun. Point
one. Grace begins where human strength ends.
The first thing we must understand is that grace
becomes precious only when we understand how
desperately we need it. Human beings. Naturally
want to contribute something to their salvation.
We want to believe that there was something in
us that caused God to choose us. We want to believe
that we were wise enough to understand the gospel.
Strong enough to respond. Good enough to be accepted.
Faithful enough to remain. But the scriptures
destroys that confidence. Not to leave us hopeless.
But to give us a better confidence. The Bible
tells us that salvation belongs to the Lord.
Ephesians 2 does not begin with our decisions.
It begins with our death. And you he made alive
who were dead in our trespasses and sins. That
is where grace begins. Grace begins where human
strength ends. Dead man cannot revive himself.
A blind man cannot give himself sight. A slave
cannot simply declare himself free. A sinner
cannot manufacture a new heart. That is why salvation
is entirely dependent upon the mercy of God.
Paul said, by grace you have been saved through
faith. And that is not of yourself. It is a gift
from God. Notice these words. Not of yourself.
That phrase destroys our boasting. It removes
the ground from underneath human pride. It directs
all glory toward God. If salvation depends upon
us, then even in heaven, we would have something
to boast about. But God has designed salvation
so that the only person who receives the glory
is God himself. The Christian does not stand
before God and say, look what I have accomplished.
The Christian says, look what God has done. And
that is grace. And this is where the gospel gives
us tremendous confidence. If my salvation depends
upon my strength, then I have every reason to
be afraid. Because I know myself. I know how
inconsistent I can be. I know how quickly my
courage can disappear. I know how easily temptation
can expose my weaknesses. I know how often I
fail to do what I know I should do. If everything
depends upon me, I have no foundation that is
solid. But if salvation depends upon God's grace,
then I can rest. My foundation is no longer my
performance. My foundation is Christ. My foundation
is God's promises. The foundation is grace. That
does not make sin unimportant. It makes grace
infinitely glorious. We do not minimize our weaknesses.
We understand our weaknesses, what they teach
us. Our weaknesses teach us to stop trusting
ourselves and start trusting the God who is strong
enough to save us. Think about how often scripture
brings God's strength into view precisely when
human strength has failed. God calls Abraham.
When the circumstances surrounding the promise
appeared impossible. God brings Israel out of
Egypt. When Israel had no military power capable
of defeating Pharaoh. God brings his people through
the Red Sea. When there was nowhere for them
to go. God gives victory through Gideon's 300
men. When an army would have seemed far more
reasonable. God uses David. A shepherd boy to
confront Goliath. And again and again, God places
people in circumstances where human strength
is insufficient. Why? Because God is teaching
us to trust Him. The Lord does not need circumstances
to be favorable so He can accomplish His purpose.
He does not need the odds to be in His favor.
He does not need... to us to provide what he
lacks. God lacks nothing. God saves us. When
God saves us, he saves us. When God calls us,
he calls us. When God promises, he is faithful.
And when God begins his work in a sinner, he
does not suddenly discover that that sinner is
more difficult to save than he expected. God
knew exactly what we were when he saved us. He
knew every sin. He knew every failure. He knew
every weakness. He knew every future failure.
He knew that every time we would stumble, he
knows. Yet grace came. And that is humbling.
But it also deeply comforting. God's grace did
not begin with an inaccurate assessment. Of who
we were. Amen. He knew us completely. And he
saved us anyway. So when you see weakness in
yourselves. Do not conclude that God has lost
control. When you see weakness in your families.
Do not conclude that God's promises have failed.
When you see weaknesses in the church. Do not
conclude that Christ has abandoned his bride.
Instead, remember where grace begins. Grace begins
where human strength ends. And when human strength
ends, God's strength has not even begun to run
out. Point number two. Grace accomplishes what
God promises. Once we understand that grace begins
where human strength ends, we can see another.
we can see something even greater. Grace does
not merely offer us help. Grace accomplishes
what God promises. This is where the sovereignty
of God becomes deeply comforting. God does not
merely make salvation possible and then stand
back to see what happens. God saves, God calls,
He regenerates, He justifies, God sanctifies,
and He preserves. And God glorifies. The entire
work rests upon him. Paul writes in Philippians.
Be confident of this very thing. That he who
began a good work in you. Will complete it until
the day of Jesus Christ. Notice who began the
work. He did. And who accomplished it. He did.
And that confidence. That's the confidence of
grace. Paul does not say, I am confident because
the Christians are strong enough to finish. He
says he is confident because God will complete
what he had begun. That is a completely different
foundation. Think about what it means for us.
God's promises does not depend upon our ability
to make them come true. God promises depends
upon God's ability to keep them. And there is
a world of difference between those two things.
If God says he will build his church, he will
build his church. If Christ says Christ will
have a people from every nation, Christ will
have a people from every nation. If God says
his sheep will hear his voice. His sheep will
hear his voice. If God says nothing can separate
his people from the love of God in Christ Jesus,
then nothing can. Why? Because God wins with
grace. God chose Abraham when Abraham had no
ability to create a nation, God promised. God
preserves Israel when Israel repeatedly proves
unfaithful. God raises up David. When David is
merely the shepherd boy. God uses Gideon. When
Gideon considered himself insignificant. God
uses Moses. When Moses feels incapable. God takes
fishermen and tax collectors. And makes them
apostles. God takes Saul. A persecutor of the
church. And makes him Paul. A preacher of the
gospel. Again and again. Scriptures put human
weakness. Beside divine strength. Why? Because
God wants his people to know where the glory
belongs. The story of redemption is not look
what a great people God found. It is look what
a great God saves sinners. And that is grace.
And this matters when we think about the future.
We can become anxious because we cannot control
the future. We cannot control our children's
decisions. We cannot control the culture or the
government. We cannot control what happens in
the church. We cannot control what will happen
tomorrow. But God's sovereignty means that our
inability to control the future does not mean
the future is out of control. The future belongs
to Christ. The church belongs to Christ. Our
families belong to Christ. Our salvation belongs
to Christ. And Christ is not losing. There may
be seasons when the church appears weak. There
may be seasons when the world appears powerful.
There may be seasons when righteousness seems
to be retreating. But appearances do not determine
God's purposes. God's promises do. Consider Christ's
words in Matthew 16. I will build my church.
And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against
it. Notice what Christ did not say. He did not
say, I will try to build my church. He did not
say, I will try. I will build my church if enough
Christians cooperate. He did not say, I will
build my church as long as the culture remains
favorable. He said, I will build my church. That
is the language of divine authority. Christ is
not waiting for the world to give him permission
to reign. He is reigning. He is not wondering
whether his kingdom will survive. His kingdom
is coming and is here now. And because Christ
is building his church, we can work with confidence.
This does not make us passive. It makes us faithful.
We preach because Christ is building his church.
We evangelize because Christ is gathering his
sheep. We disciple because Christ has commanded
us to make disciples. We raise our children in
the fear and admonition of the Lord because Christ
is Lord over our homes. We gather for worship
because Christ is worthy of worship. We pray
because God has ordained prayer as one of the
means by which he accomplishes his purposes.
We work because our labor is not in vain. Paul
says in 1 Corinthians 15, 58. Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding
in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor
is not in vain in the Lord. Our labor is not
in vain. Why? Because God's purposes do not depend
upon our strength. That means we can labor without
fear. We can preach without despair. We can evangelize
without anxiety. We can pray because God hears.
We can obey because God is working. We can persevere
because God is faithful. God wins with grace.
Point number three. Grace produces a people who
live differently. There is, however, a great
danger we must avoid when we hear that salvation.
Is by grace. We might begin to think. That obedience
no longer matters. But the scripture never teaches
that. Grace does not produce. Lazy Christians.
Grace produces new Christians. The same passage
that tells us. We are saved by grace. Immediately
tells us. Why we have been saved. Paul says in
Ephesians 2 .10. We are his workmanship. Created
in Christ Jesus. For good works. which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them. Notice
the order. We are not saved because of good works.
We are saved for good works. Works are not the
root of our salvation. They are the fruit. Grace
changes what we love. Grace changes what we pursue.
Grace changes what we do, how we worship, how
we treat our families, how we work. How we respond
to suffering. How we respond when someone wrongs
us. How we think about our possessions. How we
think about our neighbors. How we think about
the church. The Christian life is therefore not
an attempt to earn God's favor. It is a response
to having already received God's favor in Christ.
We obey because we have been loved. We serve
because we have been served. We forgive because
we have been forgiven. We show mercy because
we have received mercy. We pursue holiness because
Christ made us his own. Grace does not lower
the standard of holiness. Grace gives us a new
desire to pursue it. That is why the Christian
life should look different. Not because Christians
never struggle or never fall. The difference
is that grace has been given. A new direction.
We may stumble. But we get back up. We may fall
but we repent. We may be discouraged. But we
return to Christ. We discover another area of
sin. But grace teaches us. To bring that sin
into the light. The Christian does not say I'm
good enough. The Christian says Christ is good
enough. Because he has saved me. I want to become
more like him. That is the work of sanctifying
grace. And this gives us a very important perspective
on our lives. Sometimes we expect God's grace
to produce dramatic changes immediately. We want
to see obvious victories. We want every struggle
resolved right now. We want every temptation
conquered. We want every family problem fixed.
We want every weakness removed. But much of God's
work is quieter than that. A man who once responds
in anger learns to hold his tongue. A wife who
once carried bitterness learns to forgive. A
father who neglected his spiritual responsibilities
begins leading his family. A young person learns
to love the Word of God. A Christian who once
lived primarily for himself begins giving generously.
Someone who once avoided conflict and difficult
people begins praying for them. Some people who
would not admit wrongs learns to say, I was wrong.
Please forgive me. Those things may not make
headlines, but they are evidence of grace. It
looks like repentance, patience, faithfulness.
It looks like continually to worship when life
is difficult. It looks like opening the Bible
when you do not feel like it. Or opening or praying
when you feel discouraged. It looks like choosing
obedience. When sin would be easier. Grace is
not merely something we talk about on Sunday.
It changes how we speak to our spouses. How we
conduct our business. How we treat our employees.
How we respond to our neighbors. It changes how
we behave when nobody is watching. Because grace
has taken hold of the whole person. And gives
us a very important perspective on the church.
The church is not a gathering of people who have
arrived. It is a gathering of sinners whom Christ
is transforming. Every person sitting around
you is a testimony to God's grace. Some are further
along than others. Some struggle in ways you
can see. Others struggle in ways you cannot.
Some are strong in one area and weak in another.
Yet all of us stand on the same ground. Grace.
That should change the way we treat one another.
There is no room for spiritual pride in the church
building who builds his church upon grace. We
did not save ourselves. We did not make ourselves
worthy. Christ brought us here. Christ redeemed
us. Christ sanctified us and is sanctifying us
today. And Christ is still working. we see our
weakness in another believer, our first response
should not be pride. It should be patience and
prayer. It should be mercy. Because the same
grace that is working in them is the grace that
is working in us. And when we ourselves fall,
grace teaches us not to run away from Christ,
but to run toward Him. The gospel does not say
get yourself cleaned up and then come back. It
says come to Christ, confess, repent, believe,
walk again. That is grace. Grace produces a people
who live differently, not because they are stronger,
but because God is changing them from the inside
out. And that brings us to our fourth point today.
Grace preserves. What God has done. And what
he has begun. Perhaps one of the greatest comforts
of the Christian faith is this. The grace that
saves us. Is the grace that keeps us. God does
not bring us into his family. And then leave
us to survive on our own. He does not say I saved
you. Now see if you can make it to the end. God
who began the work. Is the God who carries us
forward. That is why Paul could say in Philippians
1 .6, Be confident of this very thing, that he
who began a good work in you will complete it
until the day of Jesus Christ. There will be
moments when you feel strong. There will be moments
when you feel incredibly weak. There will be
moments when faith seems easy. There will be
days when trusting God feels difficult. There
will be seasons of victory. There will be seasons
of painful struggle. But our confidence cannot
rest on how we feel on that particular day. Our
confidence rests upon the faithfulness of God.
And that is what makes grace so powerful. Grace
does not simply meet us at the beginning of salvation.
Grace follows us all the way home. When Peter
failed, grace was there. When David fell into
grievous sin, grace was there. When Elijah became
discouraged, God's grace was there. When the
disciples fled from Christ, grace was there.
When doubting Thomas doubted, grace was there.
And when God's people stumble today, grace is
still there. That does not mean God excuses sin.
It means that the failures of his people. Do
not overflow the faithfulness of God. The covenant
is stronger than our inconsistency. Because the
covenant rests upon God's faithfulness. That
is why we can repent. If our salvation depended
upon our perfect performance. Repentance would
become terrifying. But because Christ has accomplished
our redemption. We can come boldly to the throne
of grace. We can confess our sins. We can receive
forgiveness. We can get back up. We can continue
walking. Not because we are strong enough. Because
grace, God's grace is strong enough. Think about
the comfort found in the words of Jesus in John
chapter 10, 27. My sheep hear my voice. I know
them and they follow me. And then Jesus says
in John 28. And I give them eternal life and
they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone
snatch them from my hand. Notice the security
of that promise. Christ does not merely say that
his sheep have eternal life if they manage to
keep themselves secure in his hand. He says they
will never perish. No one will snatch them from
his hand. That is the security of grace. There
may be times when your faith feels small. There
may be times when you wonder whether you can
make it. Remember this. Your hope is not found.
Your hope is not that you will never become weak.
Your hope is that God will never become unfaithful.
And He never will. That does not give us permission
to become careless. It gives us freedom to become
faithful. That's the difference. If we do not
obey because we are afraid, That one failure
will cause God to abandon us. We obey because
we belong to him. We do not pursue holiness.
Because we are trying to convince God to love
us. We pursue holiness. Because he has already
loved us in Christ. We do not persevere. Because
we are trying to earn our final salvation. We
persevere. Because God is preserving us. And
that means even our. Perseverance is a testimony
to God's grace. When we get to the end of our
lives, we will not look back and say, I was remarkably
faithful. We will look back and say, God was
remarkably faithful. God preserves what He begins.
That means we look forward to the future with
confidence. Not confidence in ourselves, but
confidence in Him. The same grace, That found
us. Will sustain us. The same grace that justified
us. Will sanctify us. And the same grace that
carried us this far. Will carry us to the end.
And that is why God's people. Can say with confidence.
God wins with grace. So my conclusion is this.
The Christian life. Is not a story about. What
man can accomplish for God. It is a story of
what God in His grace accomplishes for man. We
have seen our weakness. We have seen our sin.
We have seen our ability to save ourselves. But
above all that, we have seen the grace of God.
And that is where our confidence must rest. Our
confidence rests in the God who is faithful.
The God who takes dead sinners and makes them
alive. The God who takes those who are far away
and brings them near. The God who begins a good
work in his people and promises to carry through
to completion. Paul says in Philippians 1 .6
again, be confident in this very thing that he
who began a good work in you will complete it
until the day of Jesus Christ. That is grace.
And perhaps this is why One of the most beloved
hymns the Christian church has endured for generations.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm
found. I was blind, but now I see. Grace is amazing
because we did not deserve it. We could never
earn it. And can never accomplish our salvation
ourselves. And that grace is not merely an idea.
Grace has a name. Jesus Christ our Lord. The
grace of God revealed to us in his son. The one
who came for sinners. Lived a perfect life. Died
upon the cross for our sins. And rose again in
victory. That is the gospel. We were dead. but
God made us alive. We were guilty, but Christ
bore our guilt. We were far away, but Christ
brought us near. We could never save ourselves,
but Christ saves. So when we sing amazing grace,
we are rejoicing in the Savior who gives us that
grace and to His people whom He saves. And beloved,
that grace does not stop at our conversion. That
same grace that saves us. Is the grace that sustains
us. When you are weak. His grace is sufficient.
When you fall. His grace restores. When you are
discouraged. His grace gives hope. When you cannot
see what God is doing. His grace teaches you.
To trust in the one who can. And when the Christian
family. Comes to the end. Of his earthly pilgrimage.
We will discover. That even then. Ourselves home.
Grace carried us. From the beginning to the end.
Salvation belongs to the Lord. So don't leave
this morning. Looking inward and asking. Am I
strong enough? You are not. Do not ask. Am I
good enough? You are not. Do not ask. Have I
done enough? You never could. Look instead to
Christ. Look to the cross. Look to the empty
tomb. Look to the grace of God. The gospel declares
that God wins with grace. And that is why we
have confidence. That is why we can worship.
That is why we can repent. And that is why we
can persevere. And that is why we can face tomorrow
without fear. Our hope is in what God has done.
What God is doing. And what God has promised
to finish. And when our strength finally reaches
its limits. God's grace never will. When our
ability finally fails. God's faithfulness will
not. When we have nothing left to offer. Christ
will still be enough. So go from this place with
confidence. Not confidence in yourselves. But
confidence in your God. Trust in his grace. Rest
in his grace. Walk in his grace. And when you
are reminded of your weakness, do not despair.
Remember the gospel. And because God is faithful,
his grace will have the final word. And amen.
As we open this up with a time of prayer to the
congregation.