https://www.bible.com/events/49487854
Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus
Grace is Greater Part 1
Prevenient grace= God makes the first move.
Today, we are starting a new Teaching series called “Grace is Greater”
This series keys off a book by the same title, and it is written by Pastor and Author Kyle Idleman.
Throughout this series, we want to be reminded of God’s grace in our lives. To understand that His grace is greater than any sin, any brokenness, any failure or regret in my life, and the lives of others around us. We want to experience that great grace in our own lives and see how that grace serves to change our world.
We don’t want ever want to forget God’s grace.
Our series begins with prevenient grace. Literally the grace of God that goes first.
Ephesians 2:1-3
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
“If we want to take the bible seriously, to hold it as authoritative and true, we not only need to take seriously what it says about God, we must also take seriously what it says about us.”
What is dead is the truest part of who we are, our sprit, our soul. We aren’t aware of the things of God, right from wrong, his love for us, and we are unable to do anything about it on our own.
That we are all born into this condition comes from the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve sinned, through that sin, this death came to every one of us.
Even though it is hard to explain, it’s even harder to deny. If you watch even the smallest of children, you can see these selfish desires at work.
In this sin-dead-state we have two enemies, two forces that dominate us.
First, the external enemy, the devil himself. We naturally follow along with his lead, the ways of the world. The ways of greed, lust, bitterness, self-indulgence, and self-service without regard for others.
The other enemy is us. Our own desires, cravings, and ideas. Whatever we want rules. Whatever feels good, is good. Whatever serves me is best.
Friends this is the picture of life, apart from God’s grace. It’s a picture of death, and it results in Gods wrath.
This is your story and this is mine, apart from grace.
Ephesians 2:4-5
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.
God’s first move in grace is to make us spiritually alive, to make us aware of right and wrong, to be aware of spiritual things. His grace is greater than death. To empower us to choose him, to seek him.
That we would ever come to an awareness of our sin-dead-state, and ask the Lord to forgive us, that’s grace. It’s not because we are smart or good looking, or even lucky. It’s all grace. It’s all because God has made the first move on our behalf.
It is by grace you have been saved.
It’s important to understand in this text, Paul is writing to Christians here. He is marking the journey of grace for people who have responded, who have said yes to the Lord, those who have by faith, have been saved from their sin.
That’s important to understand because while we believe God’s grace is universal, that he does offer grace to every person, we each have a choice to respond.
We can ignore, refuse, even frustrate his grace, to our ultimate despair. We can continue to choose to live in sin, to continue to choose death.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Our salvation, our life in Christ does not come from our good works, from trying harder, or being a nice person. It comes by grace, through believing in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
There is no bragging about where we are, or how far we have come. We can only celebrate God’s grace at work in our lives.
Our story, your story, is marked from the very beginning by grace.
Today, you are living proof of God’s great kindness and love. You are living proof that grace is greater!