Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.
God’s grace may be the most difficult thing for our natural minds to really understand. We all understand the law. It’s pretty simple really it says “do this” and “don’t do that”. You don’t even need to be a Christian to understand the law and many ‘good, law abiding, unsaved people’ will tell you that. In fact they will often point to things that Christians do which are against the Mosaic Law and say I’m better than that.
Everybody understands the law but we can’t keep it. So when we say that we are saved by God’s grace through faith it takes more than the natural mind to understand it.
God's grace takes many forms; common grace, saving grace, securing grace, sanctifying grace, serving grace, sustaining grace.
This is the third sermon in our series on grace.with all those to worship a professional and small world from generations past and present and with all the angels of singing heaven of your greatest and beauty
The text for this series on grace is;
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
As I've said the last two Sundays. Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. And it is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.
We've learned that in Greek, the original language of our New Testament, the word Charis (pronounced cars) grace implies a favor freely given.
We learned that grace becomes the source from which all blessings flow from God.
In other words, He who saves us by grace also brings us into an aspect of life that give us all the blessings and favors that accompany His divine expression of love.
When Jesus came and died on the cross, grace changed from being an expression only to friends as the Greeks described it, to include not only friends but enemies as well.
Romans 5:8 NIV But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:10 NIV For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
God's grace includes everybody but you have to accept it the way God says you have to receive it and that is by faith as our text says;
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
We've learned that God’s grace is sufficient.
2 Corinthians 12:9 HCSB But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
Grace is one of His infinite attributes, and it is the result of the eternal purpose of his will which is to reconcile mankind to Himself.
Romans 8:28-29 HCSB We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
Grace is an act, not just a favor or a gift from God. Grace reveals what God is as well as what he does. He gives us grace because He loves us, and because He loves us He showers us with mercy.
Romans 5:1-2 NKJV Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This means that we have been reconciled with God, creating a bond between God and the redeemed, that is impossible to break.
Last week we learned that the reason grace was mentioned so many more times in the New Testament over the Old was that the old covenant was a covenant of law where in order to be justified by God you had to obey the law, to the letter, in other words you had to work to gain favor or grace. This requirement of obedience, to the letter, in order to gain favor, was done away with when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for mankind and his blood sealed a new covenant.
Hebrews 9:13-15 NIV The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
The reason that a new covenant was necessary was because when Adam sinned everybody
Romans 5:12(HCSB) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.
God’s solution to this problem of all mankind being under the penalty of sin because of Adam, is grace.
(defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification).
We learned last week that Grace produces righteousness
The fact that the righteousness of Christ is bestowed upon those who believe means not only that they are declared righteous but that they participate in the victory of grace which is eternal life.
We learned that we can’t measure God’s grace because His grace has no limits.
Romans 5:15-17 (HCSB)15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Grace
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
a: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
b: a virtue coming from God
c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace
God’s grace may be the most difficult thing for our natural minds to really understand. We all understand the law. It’s pretty simple really it says “do this” and “don’t do that”. You don’t even need to be a Christian to understand the law and many ‘good, law abiding, unsaved people’ will tell you that. In fact they will often point to things that Christians do which are against the Mosaic Law and say I’m better than that.
Everybody understands the law but we can’t keep it. So when we say that we are saved by God’s grace through faith it takes more than the natural mind to understand it.
We can’t understand, with our natural minds, why a righteous God would allow His Son, who was able to keep the entire law, be punished in the place of those who can’t keep it.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Grace Is The Evidence of God’s Unconditional Love For Man
This is an excerpt from a devotional series I read a couple of years ago. The title of the devotions was “Grace? What’s That?” and they were written by Time of Grace Ministry.
The Father wants you back
One of the aspects of God’s ways that people have trouble understanding and accepting is his unconditional love.
It’s because there is no parallel in human behavior. Our forgiveness toward each other is hesitant, grudging, fingers-crossed, partial, and often just part of a ploy to get something we want. Often it is not forgiveness at all, and we bring up old sins all over again to use for leverage with other sinners.
Guilt is a terrible slave master. It keeps us afraid, making excuses, bargaining frantically, and ultimately giving up in despair. But get this--God’s love for you is based not on your performance or accumulated merit. It is based on his decision to love you no matter what. Jesus told a splendid story of a father with an aching heart to illustrate the way God forgives: “But while he [the prodigal son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
This is the message of the gospel--that God loves sinners for Jesus’ sake and forgives them while still sinners, i.e., before they’ve been cleaned up. Let that unconditional love comfort your guilty heart. Let that unconditional love release worship from your heart and lips. Let that unconditional love fuel a new attitude and new life each day.
God's Grace Takes Many Forms
In my study of God’s grace I found that grace takes several forms.
Common grace
The kindness or favor God gives to all mankind, believer or not.
Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJV)44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Emphasis mine)
Acts 14:16-17 CEV In times past, God let each nation go its own way. But he showed he was there by the good things he did. God sends rain from heaven and makes your crops grow. He gives food to you and makes your hearts glad.
God also grants grace in delaying judgement on mankind giving them a chance to accept His gift of eternal life.
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
That's common grace. Then there's
Saving grace
Which is the provision of salvation through Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8-10 CEV You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.
2 Timothy 1:9 HCSB He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Romans 3:24 (HCSB) They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:2 (HCSB) We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Ephesians 1:7-8 HCSB We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Then
Securing Grace
The favor of God by which the Christian's salvation is kept secure in spite of sin.
John 10:27-29 (NKJV)27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
I could go on and on but as you have often heard me say, you didn’t have anything to do with your salvation. You are saved by the grace of God by and through faith, so there is nothing you can do to “un-save” yourself. Salvation is obtained and maintained by grace alone.
So there's common grace, saving grace, securing grace then there's
Sanctifying Grace
Sanctification means;
1: to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use : consecrate.
2 : to free from sin : purify.
3a : to impart or impute sacredness, inviolability, or respect to. b : to give moral or social sanction to.
Sanctifying grace works within the believer causing them to grow and mature and progress becoming more Christ-like. Sanctifying grace starts at salvation and continues until we are with Christ.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
1 Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

The Spiritual Gifts that believers have been given by the Holy Spirit are serving grace. The Greek word translated grace charis (pronounced cars) is the root of the word charisma which is the word Paul used for spiritual gifts.
Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV) But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 HCSB Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person. A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of languages, to another, interpretation of languages. But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.
And finally
Sustaining grace
Grace given at special times of need, especially during adversity or suffering.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
James 4:6 (NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
To sum up; God’s grace is manifested in a variety of ways. Grace seeks us and saves us; grace keeps us secure; grace enables us to serve and to endure the tests and trials of life. Grace will bring about our sanctification in this life and will ultimately bring us to glory. From beginning to end we are the object of divine grace.
Do You Want This Grace?
Just because you are alive you are given God’s “Common Grace”, but to receive His “Saving, ''Securing ``,''Sanctifying ``,''Serving ”, and “Sustaining” Grace, there’s something that you must do. That thing you must do is to accept the gift of this grace. By definition it’s unmerited so you can’t work to earn it. It’s a gift from God and it can only come through Jesus.
John 6:29 (NKJV) Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."
Romans 10:9-12 (NKJV) 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.If you want to receive God’s grace all the benefits that God has promised to His children then pray this prayer in all sincerity (only you and God know if you’re really sincere);