God’s Promises…Grace and Mercy
Selected Scriptures
Introduction-
We are looking yet on God’s promises.
We have looked at least 5 of God’s promises.
Last week, we looked at forgiveness.
God promises forgiveness for those that ask Him for it.
Forgiveness is not offered and given because we deserve it, but because God has chosen to forgive us through Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.
Forgiveness was His idea, done His way.
“Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through Him.”
God the Father has not lowered His standard. A Holy God that cannot tolerate sin is not going to turn His back on sin and forget about it.
God has provided a way for sin to be dealt with and it is through Jesus Christ.
God offers it freely, it comes at the foot of the cross and cannot come any other way.
It is free but it cost Jesus dearly.
God promises us as believers grace and promises us as believers mercy and both come through Christ.
You cannot talk about forgiveness without grace and mercy. They are woven together with God’s plan for mankind.
Listen to me, if you get nothing else, get these two things- maybe you want to write them down.
Grace is undeserved merit-
God’s undeserved love
God’s undeserved salvation
His forgiveness
His relationship, his power, his abundant blessings.
God offers to us what we do not deserve!
A Holy God that gives instead of taking.
He gives to us where he could be justified to take.
He loves where he could leave us where we are at and hate us as much as he hates sin.
Mercy is not getting what you deserve- eternal punishment is what we deserve for sinning against a holy God. But Mercy allows a way out because of Jesus Christ. (Jesus is our rescuer.)
Grace- God giving us things that we do not deserve.
Mercy- God not giving us what we deserve.
G.R.A.C.E.- God’s riches as Christ expense
Let’s talk about grace first- getting from God that we do not deserve.
Society today has an out right attitude that everyone owes them something.
Those that have must give to those that have not.
My rights, my feelings, my pleasures, my money, my time.
The world has very little compassion for others, but is quick to yell foul when they think they have been wronged.
You and I were doomed forever because of our many sins, but because of God’s mercy and grace he has offered a better way.
Scripture says that “while we were yet sinners”, that Christ died for our sins.
While we were yet sinners, Christ comes after us, Christ pursues us, reaches out to us, shows himself to us.
I love those that say I came to Christ. That is a half truth, Christ pursued you, He made himself known to you and at that time that he made himself known, you responded.
The words of the song amazing grace are so fitting of the God that reaches out to us.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I am found
Was blind but now I see.
The most sung Christian hymn in the world. It is the only song that can make you feel unworthy and worthy at the same time.
Back to the attitude of society. Society is willing for others to pay a price for their sins, but wants grace when it happens to them.
Above the law when it is them.
Hammer of the law to fall when it is someone else.
Illustration-
A women who called police department and complained that people are speeding on our streets, endangering the lives of children walking to school. The next morning, she herself was stopped for speeding. But officer, she pleaded, I am the person who called yesterday to tell you about these speeders. Well then ma’am, he replied, handing her a ticket, you should be happy we caught one.”
The law is the law- if you get caught breaking it, we pay a penalty. That is the message of the Bible. The law of God is the law of God, if you break it, there is a penalty.
Romans 3:23- “the wages of sin is death.” (Not everyone except you. Not everyone except good people)
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not of yourself, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”
This is a major passage for grace, i.e. kindness, undeserved favor with God and His forgiving love.
“Saved” here has a wide range of meaning, it includes salvation here and also a completed action by God.
Faith in Christ is the only way of getting right with God, and no human effort can do it, because grace is a gift from God.
Think about this- Grace is God’s gift. Grace is God giving himself to us without preconditions. That means we have value in God’s eyes. There is value in His relationship with us. Grace moves us toward God. Because of his mercy and grace, God offers salvation. Wrath should come, but grace comes instead.
The other side of grace that is so amazing is the cost. It is free to us but cost Jesus everything.
God gives his grace free, the Greek word is “doron”. It means a gift offered as an expression of honor, the word was used whenever someone offered gifts or sacrifices to God.
Apostle Paul by using this word is telling us that God has honored us with his grace. We dishonor God by being disobedient, by failing to love Him as we should.
(9) Paul states God’s grace is a gift- salvation is not a reward for the good things you have done, so none of us can boast.”
You did not earn it, you cannot earn it.
Alright
Grace is a gift- you cannot earn it.
Grace is free, but cost Jesus everything.
The value of the gift determines what we will do with it. Gifts that have value are cherished and taken care of. You keep them in a safe place. You take care of them. You make sure they are not abused.
Our kid’s artistic masterpieces.
Coins, signatures, sports memorabila, classic, antiques, family heirlooms.
What have you done with the gift of God’s grace? Do we cherish it? Do we simply take it for granted?
If we do not take care of it, we consider God’s grace cheap.
When I was a youth pastor, I used the term greasy grace hard so that the kids understood that cheap grace was unacceptable and that we had to do whatever was necessary as to not abuse it.
Greasy grease is when you know not to do something , and you do it anyway realizing that you will just ask forgiveness.
When we understand the true meaning of God’s grace and what has been offered to us- it has to move us to gratitude.
It has to move us to service.
It has to transform us.
I grew up in a rough area of Milwaukee, by a single mom raising two rebellious boys, and one day I had an encounter with God. There was a change. I was never the same. Was I perfect? No! Because that was the beginning of my journey and on that journey, I fought God several times, and every time I lost. But one day, I got serious with God and our relationship and there was transformation. Am I perfect? No! But now I don’t get up every day deciding if I will serve God. Grace never stops working!
Salvation does not start and stop. It has a starting date of when you said yes, but it won’t stop until Jesus takes us home. It is a journey we go alone in some respects and a journey that we travel together.
We speak so often of being saved, but do we live out our lives as one who is being saved?
Once you were dead in your sins.
Ephesians 2:4
“But because of his great love for us, God, who, is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.”
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I am found
Was blind, but now I see.
Death to life, that is the first transformation.
Second, is when he begins to work in our everyday lives to transform us to be more Christ-like.
I believe the writer of amazing grace John Newton understood God’s grace and put it to words-
Amazing!.
Then I believe he understood his state of being before Christ and what he experienced after Christ.
“A wretch like me- once was lost but now I am found.
That the Lord opened his eyes to what it meant to be saved by God’s amazing grace-
“was blind but now I see.”
Once you truly understand God’s grace- it has to change you. You will not look at life the same. When you think of what he has done for you, they become cherished keepsakes.
Illustration-
Lee strobe puts it this way- other religions are spelled DO- they teach you how to do a bunch of rituals to try to please God. Christianity is spelled DONE- because Christ done it all on the cross. We just need to receive it. But when we do, it will change you.
Mercy is so wrapped with grace, I do not know if you can separate them. I have to go back to another song.
He paid a debt he did not owe
I owed a debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
Christ paid a debt that I could not pay back! He did the same for you.
It is all about God’s grace and God’s mercy. It makes all the difference.
Closing
Have you received God’s grace/mercy? If you have, you need to understand the depths that he has gone for you. Are you willing to let him transform your life?
Grace is free, it is received from God. It is not deserved.
It is about mercy, not fairness
It is offered to all, but all will not accept it.
