GRACE IS GREATER THAN  

• SECOND WEEK OF SERIES 

• THERE WERE A FEW THINGS WE HIGHLIGHTED TO KICK OFF THE SERIES 

• WHY- OUR WORLD AS WE JUST WITNESSED DOESN’T SEEM TO BE FILLED WITH MUCH GRACE 

• WE EXTEND VERY LITTLE GRACE 

• RUTH SHARED A STORY (EXAMPLE) OF PREVENIENT GRACE- MOST OF YOU SAID SHE SHOULD PREACH MORE  

• WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE WHY- A JOURNALIST DID YEARS OF RESEARCH ON WORD CHRISTIAN- GRACE WAS NEVER USED TO DESCRIBE CHRISTIAN 

• VERSE ALMOST HIDDEN IN HEBREWS 

HEBREWS 12 

  14. “MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH EVERYONE AND TO BE HOLY; WITHOUT HOLINESS NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD.  

HEBREWS 12:15 

  15. SEE TO IT THAT NO ONE FALLS SHORT OF THE GRACE OF GOD AND THAN NO BITTER ROOT GROWS UP TO CAUSE TROUBLE AND DEFILE MANY.  

• SEE THAT NO ONE MISSES GODS GRACE 

• HEBREW CULTURE USED METAPHOR BITTERNESS 

• HERE’S A YARD- HEALTHY GREEN GRASS 

• LOOK WHATS HAPPENING ALREADY 

• ISN’T IT INTERESTING THAT WEEDS/BITTER ROOTS 

• OVERTAKE THE GOOD THAT’S HAPPENING 

• SO HARD TO UPROOT- DISENTANGLE AND SAVE HEALTHY GRASS 

• IT SAYS THAT IT CAN CAUSE TROUBLE AND DEFILE MANY 

• A LIFE WITHOUT GRACE- TIRING 

• A HOME WITHOUT GRACE-TURMOIL 

• A CHURCH WITHOUT GRACE-TOXIC 

• OUR WORLD-  

QUOTE 

   GRACE IS BEST AND MOST FULLY UNDERSTOOD BY WAY OF EXPERIENCE.  

• PEANUT BUTTER PIE 

• I CAN SHOW IT, EXPLAIN IT, LET YOU SMELL IT 

QUOTE 

   JESUS NEVER USES THE WORD- BUT TAUGHT US MOST WHAT GRACE IS.  

• GRACE IS GREATER THAN – THAN WHAT KEVIN? 

• GRACE IS GREATER THAN YOUR BROKENESS.     

MEET RITA-HER STORY ABOUT A LAMP AND HER GRAND 

REPAIR SHOP 

• GRANDFATHER SURVIVED FIRST WW 

• SURVIVED A ROOF FALL BECAUSE OF THE LAMP 

• THE LAMP HAD A USE- BUT ITS NOW BROKEN 

• DON’T REMOVE THE DENTS 

ROMANS 8:22 

  22. “WE KNOW THAT THE WHOLE CREATION HAS BEEN GROANING AS IN THE PAINS OF CHILDBIRTH RIGHT UP TO THE PRESENT TIME.”  

ROMANS 8:28 

  28. “AND WE KNOW THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM, WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.”  

• WE THINK- WE HOPE- PRETTY SURE 

• WE KNOW- ABSOLUTE UNSHAKABLE CONFIDENCE 

• ALL CREATION HAS BEEN GROANING-BROKENESS 

• PAUL IS SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE 

• WE KNOW LIFE IS HARD 

• WE KNOW GOD IS GOO 

QUOTE 

  SOMETIMES THE SPACE BETWEEN LIFE IS HARD AND GOD IS GOOD CAN FEEL LIKE AN ETERNITY. 

GREATER THAN SIGN                                      

• WHAT HAVE YOU DECIDED IS GREATER THAN GODS GRACE? 

• WHAT YOU HAVE DONE? IS IT GREATER 

• WHATS BEEN DONE TO YOU? IS IT GREATER? 

• WHAT YOU’RE GOING THROUGH- IS GRACE GREATER? 

HOSEA 1:2 

   2. WHEN THE LORD BEGAN TO SPEAK TRHOUGH HOSEA, THE LORD SAID TO HIM, 

HOSEA 1:2 

   2. GO, MARRY A PROMISCUOUS WOMAN AND HAVE CHILDREN WITH HER, FOR LIKE AND ADULTTEROUS WIFE THIS LAND IS GUILTY OF UNFAAITHFULNESS TO THE LORD.” 

HOSEA 1:3 

   3. SO HE MARRIED GOMER THE DAUGHTER OF DIABLAIM, AND SHE CONCEIVED AND BORE HIM A SON.” 

HOSEA 3:1 

1. “THE LORD SAID TO ME, “GO, SHOW YOUR LOVE TO YOUR WIFE AGAIN, THOUGH SHE IS LOVED BH ANOTHER MAN AND IS AN AULTERESS.  

HOSEA 3:1 

1. “LOVE HER AS THE LORD LOVES THE ISRAELITES, THOUGHT THEY TURN TO OTHER GODS AND LOVE THE SACRED RAISIN CAKES. 

HOSEA 3:2 

2. SO I BOUGHT HER FOR FIFTEEN SHEKELS OF SILVER AND ABOUT A HOMER AND A LETHEK OF BARLEY.  

HOSEA 3:3 

3. THEN I TOLD HER, “YOU ARE TO LIVE WITH ME MANY DAYS; YOU MUST NOT BE A PROSTITUTE  

HOSEA 3:3 

4. OR BE INTIMATE WITH ANY MAN, AND I WILL BEHAVE THE SAME WAY TOWARDS YOU.  

Then God ordered me, “Start all over: Love your wife again, 
    your wife who’s in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife. 
Love her the way I, God, love the Israelite people, 
    even as they flirt and party with every god that takes their fancy.” 

^2-3I did it. I paid good money to get her back. 
    It cost me the price of a slave. 
Then I told her, “From now on you’re living with me. 
    No more whoring, no more sleeping around. 
    You’re living with me and I’m living with you.” 

• I WAS IN 2^ND GRADE- BUS STOP ACROSS STREET 

• DARK HAIRED GIRL- SHE WAS LESS GROSS  

• WENT TO SCHOOL 1 ST TO 12^TH GRADE 

• SHE MOVED SOPH YEAR- SAME HS 

• NEVER DATED- NO TIME FOR ME 

• SR YEAR- SCHOOL JUST STARTED- RUMOR 

• START HANGING OUT  

FELICIA MARIE HAWKINS 

• FRIDAY NIGHT IN OCTOBER- HER HOUSE 

• SATURDAY WAS FOOTBALL GAME- COATESVILLE 

• NEVER SHOWED UP.  

• A NUMBER OF OUR FRIENDS NEVER SHOWED. 

• HOME- NO INTERNET YET- RADIO KYW SHARES STORY 

• BEEN AN ACCIDENT- NO NAMES 

• I NEVER SHARED THE SUPPOSED MOST IMPORTANT 

• I WAS BROKEN- LONG TIME BROKEN                        

VIDEO 

• DENTS? 

• THE LAMP WAS DESIGNED TO SHINE A LIGHT 

• ITS FUNCTION HAS BEEN RESTORED 

• YOU WERE DESIGNED TO SHINE 

• YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE THE DENTS REMOVED  

POTTERY PICTURE 

• KINTSUGI POTTERY- TAKES BROKEN POTTERY 

• RE-AASSEMBLES WITH GOLD- 

• IT BECOMES EVEN MORE VALUABLE 

We are in week two of studying about God’s grace, in a series called “Grace is Greater”. 

Last week we established the baseline of Prevenient Grace.  We learned that God’s Prevenient Grace is the starting point of mercy, where God Himself makes a way for a lost and broken people. 

We can’t come to Christ on our own as we are dead in sin.  God acts first, through His prevenient grace, and then we can respond through our repentance. 

But, KNOW this, we can choose to ignore, refuse, and even frustrate God’s grace in our lives.   

“What would my life be without grace?” 

Today we are going to learn about “Life without grace”.  Many underestimate the greatness of grace in their own lives.   

Here are two real-life examples:  

• Have you ever had a deadline on a school project or work assignment, and something came up and you needed an extension of time to complete the assignment, and your teacher or manager said, “No problem”? 

• Spouses listen up…have you every drank the last drop of milk and you find out that your spouse hasn’t had their cereal and they are starving, and with kind words they say “I will go to Food Lion and buy a ½ gallon of milk, do you need anything while I am at the store?” 

• You know of times someone gave you grace when you didn’t deserve it. 

A life without grace is a life without hope.  As I was preparing for this message, I asked myself “What would my life be without God’s grace?”   

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I put this question on like clothes.   

When I brushed my teeth and looked in the mirror, I asked myself: “What would my life be without God’s grace?”  I immediately thought of two words “Hopeless” and “Lonely”.  The answer to this question became the focal point of my prayer time, studying and writing.   

As I share, please consider what your life would be like without God’s grace. 

The Holy Spirit reminded me of my stinking attitude before Jesus, and that I was a selfish person.   

Through His grace gently working on my heart, helping me to learn self-control over my tongue, my thoughts, and my actions I have experienced heart transformation.  

Through His grace I have learned to live with a heart of generosity, with my hands wide-open, always realizing that I am so blessed, and that I can’t out give God.   

His grace kept me from my own destruction.  His grace did not let my wild nature win out. 

As I processed the question, I had these thoughts, and they may be true for you: 

1. I think it is easier to ask God for grace for me personally, rather than His grace for that person who wronged me.  They deserve what they are getting, they don’t deserve God’s grace.   

Sound familiar?  Does that statement resonate with you? 

God’s grace enables us to pursue peace with all, even the most contrary.   

God’s grace is available to all.  Grace confronts our failures, bad habits, and shame not with condemnation but with forgiveness and a path to freedom. 

We will have two passages today:  Hebrews 12:15 and Ephesians 1:6-10.  The scriptures will be on the screens. 

¹⁵See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; (Hebrews 12:15 ESV) 

Missing the grace of God is poisonous to our lives.  To our family, friends and the wider world, a person without grace has a bitterness that appears as the “crotchety old man or crotchety old woman, you become a self-portrait of perpetual discontent.  

God’s grace is a free and an undeserved gift available to all people.  However, you must receive the gift.  And God desires us to give the gift of grace to others. God gives us His grace to rescue us from our bitterness.  

God’s grace addresses “our stuff”, “our wounds”, and “our hangups” by offering forgiveness, healing, and the power to change. 

The seed of bitterness lives in your heart.  It’s not one that you can easily see. Bitterness is a sleeper sin.  It grows beneath the surface, deep down in our heart. 

When the seed of bitterness takes root in our life, it grows like a weed; it suffocates our ability to be kind, compassionate, patient, and loving. It brings a harvest of pain for you and the people who are in your life. 

The “root of bitterness” is a poisonous influence, it consumes our heart. Then it spreads to others.  By the root of bitterness, many are stained. 

Scientists have concluded that bitterness, if left unchecked, interferes with the body’s hormonal and immune systems. 

Bitter people tend to have higher blood pressure and heart rate and are much more likely to die of heart disease and other illnesses. 

After missionary Jim Elliot was killed in 1956, his wife, Elisabeth Elliot, wrote and spoke extensively about the experience.   

Elisabeth Elliot reflected on the unexpected way God’s grace manifested in her life after her husband’s death.   

She said, “I always regarded the death of my husband, Jim, as the worst possible thing that could happen…but you know what?  When the worst thing you could ever imagine happens, there is something that was not there in your imaginings—and that is the grace of God”. 

Corrie Ten Boom said, “forgiveness is setting the prisoner free, only to find out the prisoner was me.”  

Corrie Ten Boom was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp and survived. After the war, she was confronted by one of the guards from the camp.  

She had a choice to make when the guard asked for her forgiveness, Ten Boom knew that “forgiveness is an act of the will,” and she prayed for God’s help.  

The outcome of Corrie’s choice of grace, her act of choosing forgiveness freed her from the bitterness that could have imprisoned her.  

A short video to hear Corrie Ten Boom share about God’s grace in her life. VIDEO: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wjt5vvad0ljeevrcmsqg5/AOAiI9V6dT-ITpp5WThqCiE?rlkey=8kv28j4mfkkr6dl6ou93gnrie&st=anzeo717&dl=0 

Ephesians 1:6-10 teaches that believers are chosen by God for salvation, redeemed through the blood of Christ, and included in His ultimate plan to unite all things in Christ.  

⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  

⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 

⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ  

¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him. (Ephesians 1:6-10 ESV) 

As I mentioned earlier, throughout the week, I pondered the question, “What would my life be without grace?” 

I realized that grace didn’t just improve my life; it fundamentally rewrote my story, replacing the old story of hopelessness with MANY new chapters filled with profound hope. 

Without grace, we are defined by our debt and our darkness.  Grace is a rich and deep blessing.   

With grace, we are defined by God’s glorious acceptance, lavished redemption, and ultimate unity in Christ.  

Ask God to show you where you need grace to cover any bitterness you may be harboring in your heart. 

Ephesians 1, Verse 6:  ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.   

Our praise is to go to the glory of God.  You have a testimony to proclaim the goodness of Jesus Christ that brought you out of darkness.  

The divine glory breaks through, and our hearts are lifted in praise.   

Accepted in the Beloved: Grace brings the undeserving into favor with God, not based on anything we have done, but solely on our union with Christ, “the Beloved” Son.  

Verse 7: ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 

Redeemed and forgiven: Grace is the basis for our redemption—our purchase out of the slavery to sin—through the shedding of Christ’s blood. Deliverance with a price.   

We have been purchased by Jesus when He hung on the cross.  This provides “forgiveness of our trespasses,” an unpayable debt that is fully canceled.  

God provided a divine plan that only by grace we have been adopted as God’s children, heirs with Christ. 

Verses 8-9: ⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ. 

Two of the gifts which the believer receives because of God’s divine grace are wisdom and insight.   

Overflowing with wisdom:  Grace reveals the “mystery of God’s will” and provides us with “all wisdom and insight” into His redemptive plan. We no longer must guess at God’s purpose.   

God speaks to the inner man, the inner woman, and in that place, you can be forgiven.  You can know that you know that God loves you!!    

Verse 10:  ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.  

United in Christ:  Grace works toward a future culmination when “the fullness of time” arrives and all things in heaven and on earth will be united under the headship of Christ.  

Often there are dangers we fall into when it comes to grace. 

We forget about it. Or at least we live like we do. Sometimes we just don’t think about grace. We take it for granted. We forget who we were before it. We forget our great need and His great response.  

When we don’t actively remember the gracious work of our loving Savior, we probably are not putting Him on display in all the ways He has prepared for us. 

My prayer is that I may NEVER forget who I once was.  Not that I am proud of who I was, but I will always know that I was saved by God’s grace.   

We are guilty of abusing it.  We use grace as a tagline for sin of all kinds.  

People intentionally choose sin with the thought “All I have to do is ask for forgiveness and God’s grace will cover my sin.” 

Sometimes we get stuck.  Sometimes we say that God couldn’t possibly give me grace because of what I have done or what my life has become. 

Maybe you’ve been wronged, and you are holding on to bitterness. The person who wronged you doesn’t deserve grace.  If that is true, give it to God and choose to show grace. In the same way you’ve been forgiven, you can also forgive others with the power of Christ living in you! 

Deep gratitude and abundant praise should always be responses to grace, so too are good works.  

Good works are not a requirement for our salvation but should be a response from our salvation.  

I like to tell people that the Church is like an Emergency Room.  We go to the ER because of a medical emergency.  

My real-life analogy is when I went to the ER several years ago.  

I tried everything before going, a heating pad, Bengay, ice packs, and sitting in hot water in the bathtub.   Finally, at 3:20 am, I couldn’t stand the pain any longer. 

I didn’t get dressed up to go.   I didn’t fix my hair or even put on my red lipstick.  Something was seriously wrong, and I went to the hospital exactly the way I was.   

I didn’t have to wear certain clothes, look a certain way, or get better before the hospital staff would care for me.  When I arrived at the ER, I was hurting and in a terrible condition.   

I was seen by a doctor and learned that both of my bursa’s had ruptured.  I relied on the knowledge, compassion, and skill of the physician and nurses on duty to help me. 

The ER staff provided care to me regardless of my age, my past, or what caused my injury.  Although I have a fear of needles, I desperately needed help, and I surrendered to the care of the medical staff.   

I received cortisone injections in both hips and was kept for several hours to determine if the injections would relieve my pain. 

Such is true with anyone who arrives at the Emergency Room. Can you imagine thinking that you needed to get better BEFORE you called 911?!?!” 

NO! Nobody would do that. When we need help, we take immediate action.    

We don’t have to clean ourselves up or get better before we are seen in the ER, we are helped exactly as we are—hurt, sick, and in need of help.   

Friends, that’s the great invitation of grace.  We don’t have to wait to obtain the grace of God, we simply need to respond in faith.   

Our condition, no matter how messy or critical, is what gets us seen by the doctors. 

You come to God in your state of brokenness with your sins, mistakes, and spiritual wounds, just like you are.  God doesn’t expect you to fix yourself first.  

A person receives God’s grace by surrendering to the care of Jesus, the Divine Physician and ultimate healer.   God’s grace is available to everyone who seeks it.    

We can’t save ourselves through our own works.  We are to trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, which provides for our spiritual healing.  

Going to the Emergency Room or the Church, people should go exactly how they are; they should not wait until they are well.   

Grace doesn’t insist that you get cleaned up first, grace meets you right where you are.  The Church acts as an agent of God’s grace. 

A patient who receives proper care in an ER walks out in a better state than when they arrived.  Just like me, I felt better.   

Individuals who go to the ER are given a new chance at health even when they may have a long road of recovery ahead, but their immediate crisis has been addressed.   

When you accept God’s grace, you receive forgiveness and a new spiritual life.   

This doesn’t mean that you will never have struggles, but it does mean that the major spiritual problem of sin and the separation from God is healed.  

With God’s grace, a person is restored, supported, and strengthened.   

Are you tracking?  Do you understand what I am saying?   

The emergency room and God’s grace are places of undeserved help.  We come broken and hurting and are met with unconditional care, compassion, and healing.  

Maybe you are sitting here today, and you are saying, Pastor Terry, that’s all good but “There is no way that God will give me grace after what I have done.” 

You either think you are not worthy because your sin is too great, or either that it’s to frequent for God’s grace to cover.  You think that grace is for others but not for you. 

Or maybe you are basing God’s grace upon the way that humans give grace, often a human’s grace is based upon their personal mood, often incomplete and late. 

Or perhaps you have come to believe that grace is something to be “earned” that if you work hard enough for the kingdom then you will earn it, 

OR you will “lose” grace if you don’t work enough or give enough, rather than understanding that grace is a matter of your faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. 

This message has a Call to Action. 

There are cards in your chair.  You can write your decision on the card and place it in the bucket on the high-top table as you leave.   

Today your response may be: 

1. “I prayed, and I still have a lot of questions, and I would like a pastor to give me call.  Please write your name and telephone number on the card.” 

2. “I prayed to accept Jesus into my heart. Please write your name so we can be praying for you.” 

3. “I am a believer in Jesus Christ.  I thank God for His amazing grace and today, the LORD reminded me to extend His grace to others, just as God has shown to me.” 

The front chairs have been designated as altars to anyone who would like to come forward to pray. 

Pastor Jared will be in the back of the sanctuary, and I will be in the front if you would like for us to pray with you, or you can pray where you are, turn your chair into an altar.   

Please complete a card and write your decision so we know how to pray for you.  

Let us pray.  

“Father, we come to You with hearts full of gratitude.  Thank You Lord for the message which reminds us of Your immeasurable grace towards us, grace that we never earned, or deserve.  Grace that You loved us while we were still sinners.   

Please live in my heart and help me be the person that You desire me to be.  Please forgive me for the times that I have hurt you, and hurt others.  

We confess that we are tempted to rely on our own efforts and achievements, but today You have lovingly called us back to the freedom and rest found only in You. 

God, please help me for the times that it has been impossible for me to extend Your grace.  Holy Spirit please give me the power to receive Your truth, and to be more than a hearer of Your word, God please help me to be an agent of Your grace to all people.   

Jesus, I can’t do it by myself.  Holy Spirit please live in me.  I love Your Lord.  In Jesus Name, Amen.  

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭15‬ ‭ 

Prevenient Grace – Grace that goes before we make a decision to choose Jesus. that God is at work in the world, and He is pursuing us. 

“Before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man” – AW Tozer 

“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” 

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ 

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ 

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” 

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬ ‭ 

“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. 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. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 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.” 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭ 

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! 

The Domroes Family has served the past four years as missionaries in Paraguay and will be serving in Curacao as missionaries over the next two years. If you are interested in supporting the important work the Domroes family is doing in Curacao, click the link below.

https://give.nazarene.org/pledge/jadomroes#v35448

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭ 

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭ 

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” 

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ ‭ 

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”” 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬-‭15‬