Alba 2-6-2023
THE GIFT OF GOD
Ephesians 2:8-10
A tired stay-at-home mom opened the front door of her home to find the preacher from the church, who said, "I’m collecting donations for the new children’s home we’re building. Just asking you to give what you can."
"Absolutely," said the tired woman. "I’ll give you two boys, two girls, or one of each." She was willing to gift the children's home with more than they were asking.
Gifts. How many gifts have you received in your lifetime? I doubt you could give an accurate count. We give gifts at Christmas, at birthdays and at other special times of the year.
I realize that some people have much less than others. Nevertheless each of us has received many good things. Even if it was just a kind word of encouragement from someone. The song says, “Count your many blessings”. If we take that seriously, it will be hard to have a complete list.
While receiving gifts is a lot of fun, the Bible tells us that it is better to give than to receive. Tell a small child that and you'll probably get a strange look. But God meant it. Because that is what He does. He gives and gives and gives again.
God is the original gift giver. Look at Ephesians 2:8-10. It says: "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
Grace is God's gift to us. There is nothing in us that would make God to want to save us. But God loves us and wants to give us a gift that we haven’t earned and don’t deserve.
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The footnote explains that can be translated, the “free gift” of God.
The focus on God’s grace being given “freely” and as a “gift” declares the truth that it is given to us “without a cause.” God’s free gift of grace means that we get what we need, not what we deserve.
The clear teaching that salvation is a gift from God that He gives out of His grace is a hard concept for some people to understand. There are at least three common misconceptions about God's saving grace.
One is that people are basically good who only need a little help from God. But Romans 3:10-12 tells us, “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (NIV)
You see, Jesus didn’t come just to be a good example for nice people to follow. He came to ransom us from our sinfulness, and to find those who are lost and restore them to the family.
A second misconception is that we have it in ourselves do enough to earn God's acceptance, as if being a law abiding citizen is enough to qualify our entrance to heaven.
Many people believe that if they are a good enough person, or if they do enough good deeds, then they deserve eternity with God. But Romans 3:20 says, “No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (NIV) So, we can’t boast about our salvation as if we did it on our own. We can’t say “I did it my way.” That never flies, because God’s way is the only way.
And a third misconception that some people have is that their sins are so enormous, God couldn't possibly forgive them.
But Romans 3:24 says that we are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” To be justified means that what God sees is “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.
He knew what we would do! So because of God’s gift of amazing grace, whatever we’ve done in the past, the present and will do in the future, God sent His Son Jesus to die for us on the cross, to take our punishment, so that we could stand before God and be viewed as FLAWLESS.
It doesn't matter what you have done. It doesn't matter if you are young or old. It doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl. It doesn't matter if your skin is red, brown, yellow, black, or white. It doesn't matter where you were born or who your parents are. God has a gift of grace for you.
God sent His Son into the world to die for us so that we could experience the power and magnificence of God’s grace and mercy. God has this gift ready for all who will come to Him in Christ Jesus.
So, are we saved simply because God did everything He did with no response from us on our part? Is it simply poured out on everyone, so that, as an old movie said, “All Dogs Go to Heaven”?
Absolutely not. If so, every human that ever lived would be saved simply by being in existence. No, the gift must be received. Think about it. Have you ever tried to give something to someone who just would not take it? Or, have you ever had a gift that you did not accept? A gift may be given, but it does no good if it is not received.
The question is, who will receive it? The answer to that question is given in our text, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” It is received by those who have faith.
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
It makes sense doesn't it? Why would those who don't have a faith in God want to spend eternity with Him?
We have to respond in faith to receive God's grace before it will be of any benefit at all. It's God's grace and our faith. God's grace represents everything He did to make salvation available for mankind.
Our faith is the response we must make in order to receive God's grace. The grace that saves us is God's. The faith that saves us is ours.
For example, what if, when I proposed to my wife, and had an engagement ring ready to give, she had said no? That would have changed everything. No ring, no marriage, no life together. I wanted her to say yes. Thankfully she did. And that changed everything.
So scripture says we receive, accept, God's gift “through faith”. But what kind of faith is needed. People believe a lot of things. Paul and Silas told the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
Our faith must be in Jesus! The one who was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, was the sinless sacrifice for our sins on the cross and now is in heaven but will one day return. Yes, that Jesus!
So if we simply say we believe those things, does that mean that we are recipients of God's gift? There is a problem with that since James 2:19 says, “Even the demons believe—and tremble!” And demons aren't going to heaven. They will be in the place that God has prepared for the devil and his angels.
Our faith needs to be more than just knowing who Jesus is, or thinking good thoughts about God. In the Book of Acts, it shows that people responded with a faith that caused them to turn from their sins. It was a faith that led them to be baptized, so as scripture says, they could come into Christ.
To people who believed the message about what Jesus has done for us, the apostle Peter in Acts 2:38 told them (KJV), “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Repentance is turning from sin and to the things of God. God's grace and our faith will not save us if we fail to repent. A saving faith is a repentant faith. We can't expect to enter God's heaven if we are still carrying the burden of our trespasses and sins.
II Peter 3:9 says that God is, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
And baptism is a very important step in the faith process. As Mark 16:16 says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
First Corinthians chapter fifteen declares that the gospel is summed up in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So how do we today participate in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
As Romans 6:3-4 says, “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Baptism is not a work attempting to make God look on us favorably, or to get His approval, or to earn a place in heaven. It is an act of faith... faith in Jesus that as we share in His death, burial and resurrection, we are made partakers of His grace.
We do not deserve any good thing from God, but He is a giver. Indeed, it is “by grace (we) have been saved through faith, and that not of (ourselves); it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
So then what? Do we just sit around and wait till Jesus returns? Everything is taken care of so we have no more responsibilities? Well not if you keep reading. God has more gifts for us.
Because verse ten tells us more. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
There are good works that are prepared us. God has rescued us from the destructive ways of the world in which we used to live. Now God gives us a new way to live!
So, we are not saved by any good works we may do, but we are saved to do good works. That is God's plan.
Good works are deeds and actions which God Himself has determined He wants His people to do. A new lifestyle and behavior for Christians is a part of God’s plan for us. It is another gift from God.
He has prepared some things for each of us to do so that we will “Let (our) light so shine before men, that they may see (our) good works and glorify (our) Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
It makes me think about Psalm 23 where it says concerning the Shepherd, “He restoreth my soul.” God did that through Jesus when we accept Him as Lord and Savior.
But what follows restoration is the next verse, “He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” Even in Psalm 23 it says we are restored in order to live righteous lives and do good.
Like a piece of furniture that becomes broken down and useless, once it is restored, it becomes useful again. That is what God does for us.
In sin, we were not of much use. Restored by His grace, God can use us for His glory.
So, our purpose is to do God’s will. And that is our proper response to His gift of grace!
CLOSE:
We are saved by grace, through faith, a faith that takes action. Jonathan Hester tells a story saying that if you want to learn the meaning of faith, get down to a child's level.
He said that as he went shopping he noticed a sign posted on a pole. But what caught his attention was how low the sign was placed. It was at the bottom of the pole.
He had seen many signs for yard sales, cars and business opportunities, but they usually are posted where they are more easily seen. He thought it had slipped down, but on closer inspection saw that it was securely attached with several inches of masking tape. So much so that the tape crossed over the middle of the sign blocking out some of the details.
As he looked closer he thought it was advertising a house for sale and decided that it was so low to grab attention. Outside the store was a store clerk taking a break. When telling the clerk what he thought about the sign, the clerk said “I don't think so.”
"Well, why else would they have placed the sign way down here?" he asked. Then, pointing down the walkway, he said, "That little girl is doing it. I just watched her and that lady hang this one." Stooping down, he glanced to where the clerk was pointing and indeed saw several more signs.
Curious, he went to the lady and little girl who was posting yet another sign with masking tape. He said, "Excuse me. I don't mean to be rude, but why are you placing the house for sale signs so close to the ground?"
The woman smiled and turned to him. "She's not selling the house. Look closer," she said. Again he stooped down adjusting his position until he could finally read the small print. "We miss you!" He read out loud. He looked up and said, "I don't get it! You miss the house?"
"Look closer," the woman replied. "Look at the picture. Do you see the child?" the woman asked. "Yes, I do." he said. "Look to the left in front yard." Now adjusting his glasses and squinting he said, "The dog? Do you mean the dog?"
"Yes! Look at the very bottom of the sign." He said that was a test for sure. He read, "I miss you! Come home!" "Her dog is lost," the woman explained.
He laughed and said, "Most people would hang a lost sign with a picture of the dog on it. It would also be where people could actually see it." "Well, you saw it," the young girl said.
He hesitated to ask for further explanation as he noticed the cherub faced little girl, and the innocence of her youthful spirit. But then the woman filled him in saying, "I explained to her that it may be hard to find her dog. As you can see the store has many signs posted. So she said that she had a better idea. She wanted her dog to find her. Thus the picture of the house, her and the dog," she said.
He said, "And hanging them down there..." "You got it. So the dog could see it," she said. The woman then whispered to him, "It's been missing a few days now. We really thought it would be back already. I didn't want to give up until she felt she did everything she could."
Trying to think of some way to help he said "What a great idea!" Then he stooped down and said, "I will say a prayer. I'm going to give your mom my phone number. Call me when you and your dog are back together."
He handed the woman one of his business cards. He had to know how this ended. "By the way, what's your dog's name in case I meet him in my travels?" he asked.
"It's a girl dog," the child said. "Her name is Grace." He looked to the woman and she confirmed. "Yes, we named her that because that's how we got her. She was lost. 'Amazing Grace, I once was lost but now I'm found, '" the woman said smiling.
One week later his phone rang. The little girl called to tell him Grace came home. Amazing!
And it is amazing when people respond to God's grace and receive His wonderful gift of salvation taking the action of faith.
