Ephesians 2:1-5 “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
lusts 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, who is 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).”
Continuing Pastor Kennedy's message, God's "Grace" is defined as: the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him. The full quintessence and
the purest distillation of what God’s amazing grace means is the astonishing and
astounding grace by which we are saved, and without shall no one be saved. Many
have hopes and expectations of entering Heaven based upon the fact that they
have lived reasonably decent and good sort of lives, based upon their character
and morality. But, Jesus did not die for friends. Jesus did not die for
strangers, Jesus did not die for nice
people. Jesus died for His enemies (dead in trespasses and sins).
While we were yet with
enmity with God, Jesus Christ dies for us. That is the meaning of grace. It is
totally unmerited favor to those who deserve positive disfavor. To the
undeserving, to the ill-deserving, to the Hell deserving, God offers eternal
life. Not because of anything we have done. If you have not received that
grace, receive it, even now. Do it now! You do not need to plead your virtues
or what great accomplishments you’ve made. There is only one thing that you can
add to your salvation, and that is you provide the sin for which Christ died. By
God’s grace, He changes our heart. By God’s grace, He brings us to repentance
and faith. Not because of anything we are or have done, but in spite of
everything that we have done.
Most people try to claim
their virtues and minimize their sins, but if you want to be accepted by God,
maximize your sin; don’t extenuate them (making them seem less serious). You do
not know one-hundredth of the sin that clings to your soul. So, if you were to
maximize your sin ten times over, you would still be extenuating your own sin.
Grant God all of your sin. Admit them all. His grace will come and slow to
cleanse your life like a sparkling river of living water, and you can say: “It
is well with my soul”. You can know assuredly that you have eternal life. You
can know that you are forgiven because the God of Heaven has given His only
begotten Son to die for His enemies (including me), that you and I may have
eternal life.
Justice is receiving what we
deserve. Mercy is not receiving what
we deserve. Grace is receiving what we
do not deserve. Would you like to receive
that gift? Come to the Cross of Christ and receive that amazing grace.
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