Sermon Notes for "Grace Alone" from Ephesians 2:1-10
Introduction:
We are continuing a 5 week study on the 5 Solas. Sola is Latin for alone, the
solas were considered the foundational principles of Protestantism which was
begun by Martin Luther in 1517 (Sola! Pg 3) Last week, we looked at Scripture
Alone and this week we will look at Grace Alone. Why is grace alone important
for us today?
What
is grace? A mother found under her place one morning at
breakfast a bill made out by her small son, Bradley, aged eight—Mother owes
Bradley: for running errands, 25 cents; for being good, 10 cents; for taking
music lessons, 15 cents; for extras, 5 cents. Total, 55 cents. Mother smiled
but made no comment. At lunch Bradley found the bill under his plate with 55
cents and another piece of paper neatly folded like the first. Opening it he
read—Bradley owes Mother: for nursing him through scarlet fever, nothing; for
being good to him, nothing; for clothes, shoes and playthings, nothing; for his
playroom, nothing; for his meals, nothing. Total: nothing.[1]
You have probably heard someone say, “I have good news
and bad news. Which do you want to hear
first? Let’s take a quick poll this
morning: Who wants to hear bad news
first? Who wants to hear good news first?
Bad
News as we start vs. 1-3
·
Vs. 1-You were dead in sins and
transgressions
o
A ‘trespass’ (paraptÅma) is a false step (omission) A ‘sin’ (hamartia), however, means rather a falling short of a
standard. (commission)
o
Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good,
but dead people live. - CS Lewis
o
Without Christ, we are spiritually dead. And this affects us all individually
(original sin). We are all sinners.
·
Vs. 2-used to live -Because you followed
the world and ruler of kingdom of air
o
World-all created things or values,
beliefs in rebellion to God
o
Satan-We have an enemy and Satan is his
name. Here he is called the ruler of
kingdom of the air. He is not one who wears a red cape and carries a
pitchfork. He is real and He steals,
kills, and destroys (John 10:10). operate in the unseen world or spiritual
realm. He is the source of temptations to sin and we may safely trace all evil,
error and violence back to him in the end. [2]
·
Vs. 3-All of us gratifying the flesh
(sinful nature)— the physical aspect of a person in distinction to the
immaterial soul; often understood as the seat of sin and rebellion to God.
§ Self-centered,
not the body
§ So,
the bad news is that we experience difficulties in this life from within (our
sins and flesh) and without (world) and Satan is using both.
·
Vs. 3-We deserved wrath
o
Because we broke the law, because we sin
o
God’s wrath is not like man’s. It is not
bad temper, so that he may fly off the handle at any moment. It is neither
spite, nor malice, nor animosity, nor revenge. It is never arbitrary, since it
is the divine reaction to only one situation, namely evil. Therefore it is
entirely predictable, and it is never subject to mood, whim[3]
o
His wrath is the unvarying reaction of his
holiness and righteousness against all that is sinful.[4]
But God … These words show the
contrast between the bad news and the good news.
Grace is not….
·
Grace Plus-Yes, grace but….Davis writes, “Not
grace plus works or worthiness or effort or intention or money or remorse.”
(SOLA 21-22)
·
Grace as infusion. It gets you started and then it’s up to
you. It is seen as “a thing, a force or fuel
like spiritual Red Bull” (Reeves & Chester, 88)
Good
News as you go vs. 4-10
·
Grace is from God and for us(vs. 4-7)
o
Kevin Vanhoozer writes, “grace is not some third thing between God and
human beings, a supernatural substance or power that gets infused into nature
to perfect it. Rather, grace is the gift of God’s presence and activity to
those who have neither the right to them nor a claim on God. Grace is God
giving what is not owed…grace is undeserved and unmerited. It is given so creatures
can come to know and love him” (36, 53-54)
o
Vs. 4-Great love--Agape-unconditional love
& Rich in mercy
o
Vs. 5-God made us alive
o
Vs. 5-By grace-You have been saved.
o
Vs. 6-God Raised and seated with Him
§ Paul
connects three successive historical events of Jesus (resurrection, ascension,
seated at right hand of God) with what is ours “in Christ”-union with Christ
(alive, raised, and seated with Him)[6]
o
Notice God as the one doing the work. He is the subject. Grace is God given.
o
Vs. 7-Show us incomparable riches of his
grace and kindness in Christ
§ Verb-God
intends to make a grand display of his wondrous grace that all may glorify[7]
·
Grace is a Gift for all people for all of life. (Vs. 8-9)
o
Vs. 8-By grace you have been saved,
through faith not works, salvation by faith alone-We will discuss this more in
2 weeks when we look at Faith Alone. But…obtained this grace by faith..[8]
o
Vs. 8-Not in yourself but gift of God
§ Grace
is available to all people. Nothing you
have done in your past or will do in the future can keep you from the grace of
God.
§ Grace
separates Christianity from all other religions. In every other religion or cult, you must do
something to make the deity happy. You must
earn favor by your works or good acts or deeds.
But in Christianity, grace is given as gift because of what Christ has
done so we do nothing to obtain favor, but it is freely given. Grace specifies
what Christianity is all about.
§ Grace
is good news for the unbeliever and believer alike. I need grace every day. Unfortunately, we have tried to move on from
grace to other things once we are Christians, but it always turns up
empty. Grace alone is what saves us and
sustains us in the Christian life.
§ As
grace would be excluded if our salvation came from ourselves, so faith and the
gift would be excluded if our salvation were due to works[9]
·
Grace is a Motivation (vs. 10)
o
Vs. 10-We are God’s workmanship created to
do good works
o
Grace is free to us, but costly to God.
Grace enables us to be more like God. Because
it is entirely of God, we respond out of joy, delight and gratitude for what
Christ has done and through the gifts which has the Holy Spirit has given, we
do good works.
o
Everything in us, therefore, that is good,
is the supernatural gift of God.[11]
o
My prayer for HMBC is that we would be a
different church—one which loves out of the overflow of God’s great love for
us, ministers to others out of joy, delight and gratitude not guilt, shame or
to earn favor with God, and that we do good works out of grace not law.
Closing:
Mother’s Day Recognition-The wide spectrum of mothering
[1] Tan,
P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of
7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (pp. 756–757). Garland,
TX: Bible Communications, Inc.
[2]
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society:
the message of Ephesians (p. 74). Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press.
[3]
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society:
the message of Ephesians (pp. 75–76). Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press.
[4]
Lenski, R. C. H. (1937). The interpretation
of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians and to the
Philippians (p. 412). Columbus, O.: Lutheran Book Concern.
[5]
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society:
the message of Ephesians (p. 80). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press.
[6]
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society:
the message of Ephesians (pp. 80–81). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press.
[7]
Lenski, R. C. H. (1937). The interpretation
of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians and to the Philippians
(p. 420). Columbus, O.: Lutheran Book Concern.
[8]
Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentaries on the
Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians (p. 227).
Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[9]
Lenski, R. C. H. (1937). The interpretation
of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians and to the
Philippians (p. 424). Columbus, O.: Lutheran Book Concern.
[10]
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society:
the message of Ephesians (p. 84). Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press.
[11]
Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentaries on the
Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians (p. 229).
Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
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